Starless Night
by Jaya Avendel
Summary: Mai'Zak is the ill-fated son of Drizzt Do'Urden. Never knowing and hating his father, when thrust into peril with his brother, will he kill Kalin or come to terms with his fate? Taking his son for dead, Drizzt sets out to find his body. When he learns he has a family he thought long dead, will he ally with them against the zombies or turn his back on the only love he may ever know?
1. Deadly Plunge

**Disclaimer: I do not own Cattie-Brie, Drizzt, Zak, Dinin, or Nalfein; they are registered property of R.A Salvatore. The rest of the characters belong to me.**

 **Please review and let me know what you think. I have finally gotten around to writing this and I am really enjoying it! Are you?**

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"Kalin!" Drizzt cried, frantically hacking through the armored men around him. "Kalin!"

"Ilharn!" Kalin shrieked, struggling to escape the grasp of the grizzled man who held him. "Ilharn! Save me!"

"Shut up, you worm!" snapped the boy's capturer, punching Kalin across the face. "No one is going to save you today!"

"Get your hands off him!" Drizzt roared, tearing away from the men around him. He raced toward his son but Kalin was dragged away from him, toward the edge of the cliff that bordered the forest on one side. The cliff dropped down into a river.

"NO!" Drizzt yelled.

The grizzled man leered at Drizzt. "My father was a bandit wizard, struggling to feed his family. You viewed him as an enemy; you were responsible for his death! I hated you for what you did to my family! Say goodbye to your son!" And he shoved Kalin over the cliff.

"Kalin!" Drizzt felt his world beginning to crumble around him. All the love and security he had known was gone! Kalin was gone! Kalin's cries echoed up from the cliff, receding into nothingness. The last thing Drizzt would hear from his son were his dying screams.

Drizzt felt his blood begin to boil. Monsters! Beasts! Murderers! He threw himself into the fight, disregarding the injuries dealt to him, and slaughtered every last man. Stumbling to the edge of the cliff, he stared down at the rushing white waters below him. Kalin. Sweet son. Innocent child. Gone. Murdered!

Drizzt fell to his knees, weeping. His body ached with sobs. Why was this world so cruel to him? It took everything from him! The people he loved, the woman he loved, and now his child! His only child! What had he done to deserve this?

Unable to find an answer, Drizzt heaved himself to his feet. He would comb every inch of the river, searching for Kalin or his body. Kalin deserved a proper burial; he was a good child.

Drizzt had to walk a long ways down the top of the cliff to find a suitable place where he could descend to the riverside. As he walked, he began to feel sick and dizzy. The world began to reel. Drizzt stumbled away from the cliff before he took a wrong step and plummeted to his death. He wandered into the trees, surrounded by a whirling vortex of images: Kalin sleeping, Kalin looking at the stars, Kalin smiling. Kalin hugging him. Kalin gone. Kalin dead. Kalin drowning. Kalin splayed out on the rocks with vultures picking at his insides . . .

Drizzt fell to his knees, vomiting. He hacked and retched uncontrollably, the sickness overwhelming him. Blackness crashed in from all sides. But Drizzt was a fighter; he would not give up so easily. He twitched a few more times before he lay completely still.

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	2. Familiar Faces

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Drizzt groaned and forced his eyes open. He could smell smoke and feel the heat of a fire. But who . . . ?

Drizzt tried to sit up but his head began to spin. A horrible buzzing noise in his ears forced him back down. He closed his eyes and lay still until his senses returned to normal. He opened his eyes. A familiar face came into focus, one that sent terror coursing through Drizzt's veins!


	3. He Was Your Son

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"Dinin!" Drizzt made a grab for his scimitars and collapsed pitifully, retching. He shied away from his brother, helpless and convinced Dinin was going to kill him.

"Hey, little brother," Dinin drawled. "Long time, no see. You young idiot; lie still. Are you completely unable to just relax? Do not worry; I am not going to kill you."

Dinin forced Drizzt to lie back down on his back. Drizzt stared up at his brother in a mixture of terror and confusion. "W-where am I?"

"About a few hundred yards from where I found you in a pool of vomit and blood," Dinin answered. He sat down and leaned back against a tree. "You were poisoned. There was poison on all the weapons that injured you. Fast working poison; you were just about dead when I found you. Lucky I got to you in time, eh?"

Drizzt was silent. He could not believe Dinin was alive, sitting only a few feet away, looking fine and happy. He could not believe Dinin had saved his life! What did he want? Wait . . . what _did_ he want?

"What do you want from me?" Drizzt asked suspiciously.

"Your cooperation," Dinin said with a leer. "I suppose you thought I was dead."

"I assumed you had been killed when House Do'Urden was destroyed," Drizzt answered.

Dinin chuckled and shook his head. "If I had died you would have heard about it. I would have died a heroic death if any death at all! No; I quietly slipped out of the House in all the battle confusion and disappeared. Just like that. But that was a long time ago. A lot of water has passed under the bridge."

"Yes. I suppose that must be so if you are not going to kill me."

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have left you to rot right where I found you. Trust me; you would have died a much more painful death then any end I could administer. Probably would have gotten eaten alive by wolves!"

Drizzt was silent again. Kalin. He had got to find Kalin. But how could he in this condition? What if Kalin had survived the river and was lying on the shore, dying? Tears filled up his eyes and he turned his head away so Dinin would not see them.

"Lose someone you love?" Dinin asked sympathetically.

Drizzt looked at his brother in surprise. Dinin nodded. "I know how you feel. I just lost someone I love to."

"W-who was it?" Drizzt made an effort to collect himself.

"A close family member. He is blind. He went out for a walk without his guidewolf and he—he walked over the edge of the cliff." Dinin's voice broke. "He name was—is—Mai'Zak Do'Urden."

"Was he your son?" Drizzt asked.

"No. He was your son."

Drizzt felt like he had just been punched hard in the stomach. It took a while for Dinin's words to sink in and fully register. "W-what?"

"Mai'Zak is your son," Dinin repeated. He patted Drizzt on the arm pityingly. "I know; it hits you hard. Shall I explain?"

Drizzt nodded weakly. Mai'Zak? Son? Walked over a cliff? Blind? What was happening to him? He must be caught in a very bad dream. Any minute now Kalin would shake him awake and ask for breakfast . . . right?

"Let me help you sit up. You need to drink this tea, eat, and listen to a tragic story."

Drizzt sat up slowly with Dinin's help. He sat back against a tree. Dinin held a cup of tea to his lips. Drizzt turned his head away. Dinin was a liar; it could be poison.

Dinin sighed. "Look, either we do this the hard way or you take a plunge and drink up. I would take no pleasure from watching you writhe to death on the ground. But I might enjoy forcing this tea down your throat."

Drizzt stared into his brother's eyes distrustfully as he took a sip of the tea. He waited for any signs of sickness before drinking the rest of the tea down.

"Well done," said Dinin, clapping drily. "Do you want me to feed you or are you feeling better then you look?"

"I can look after myself," Drizzt said stiffly.

Dinin handed Drizzt a plate of meat and vegetables. He settled back and tossed some more wood on the fire. Dinin picked up his plate of food and began to eat. He seemed to be considering where to begin his story. After a long time Dinin sighed and his eyes snapped back to Drizzt. Drizzt looked at him impatiently.

"Sorry to keep you waiting so long," Dinin apologized. "I was remembering."

Drizzt held back an impatient retort. After all, as much as he hated it, he was sick and in no state to fight if he made his brother angry.

"I know you want to know what happened to us," Dinin said kindly.

"Would you begin or are you enjoying torturing me?"

Dinin chuckled. "Actually I was hoping to see you beg."

Drizzt scowled. He would never beg for anything, especially not from Dinin, even if Dinin had saved his life. His pride would not allow it.

"I am just teasing you, little brother," Dinin said lightly. "Here we go." And he began.

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 **Guest: Yes, I accidentally posted up the wrong document to chapter 3. Sorry about that. I fixed it. Hope you enjoy it.**


	4. Tuatha Do'Urden?

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"After you left, House Do'Urden was immediately plunged into disfavor. Matron Malice was pregnant again with Zaknafein's fourth son. She was struggling to keep her position in drow society. So she sacrificed Zak to Lolth. Or she thought she did."

Drizzt started. "What are you talking about? Zak was killed! I fought his reincarnated body!"

"Would you shut up?" Dinin snapped.

Immediately chastened by Dinin's tone, Drizzt was silent.

"Thank you! Zak had a twin brother. His name was Calnafein. Cal led a life of misery. He was capable of bearing children and he spent his life bearing whatever child he was impregnated with. Cal knew Zak was going to be sacrificed. Cal wanted to die and he knew Zak wanted to live. So Cal took Zak's place on the altars. Zak became Cal. Not long after the sacrifice, Cal mysteriously disappeared and Zak came back as a drow with a secretly appealing past. He called himself Lotez. He won Malice's attention and became the new Weapon's Master of House Do'Urden. I knew who he was; I was helping him. Then Tuatha was born.

"Tuatha is your younger brother. He was raised from age eight as an assassin, specifically trained to hunt you down and kill you. But Tuatha was like us; he did not want to kill his brother. He hid that from his family and endured his life of abuse and suffering. When Tuatha turned sixteen he was sent to Zak aka Lotez for more advanced training. Zak claimed he knew you well and could train Tuatha in ways that would assure he could kill you. Well, Zak was not lying; he was your father! Besides, it was the only way Zak would be able to spend time Tuatha. So Tuatha went to live with Zak in the training halls.

"You know what your first day with Zak was like. Tuatha's day was very much the same. He was forbidden to enter Zak's rooms. He and Zak had their first duel and Zak won. Normally, it would have ended there but Tuatha was braver and bolder then Zak thought. And when Zak had gone to attend to some important business, Tuatha explored Zak's room."

Drizzt's eyes widened. "Did Zak kill him when he found out?"

"No, because Matron Malice had forbidden it. Tuatha was her only hope of killing you and keeping her house standing. But Zak flogged Tuatha as punishment. Or he tried to. Tuatha fought him off and told him to go to hell."

Drizzt thought Tuatha sounded very interesting.

"Zak found he had a curious respect for Tuatha. Tuatha began to train with him. Tuatha chose the dagger, crossbow, staff, and pike as his primary weapons. I know that sounds ridiculous but he kicks ass with them. After about six years with Zak, after which time Tuatha was aware of who Zak was, Tuatha was sent to the best of the drow Academies. Malice was making sacrifice after sacrifice in order to hold onto her fading power and keep House Do'Urden alive long enough for Tuatha to complete his training and kill you. Killing you would bestow Malice with unimaginable power. Lolth was aching for your death. You had betrayed the drow race. She hated you.

"Anyway, Tuatha was extremely attractive and he was picked out as one of the Heads of the Academy's whores. After the usual opening games, which Tuatha won, the Head of Swords took Tuatha away to "reward" him."

Drizzt winced. He recalled similar rewards from his years at the Academy as well.

"Tuatha killed the Head the minute the drow got up on top of him," Dinin said flatly, enjoying Drizzt's expression. "Me, Zak, and Nalfein were very amused when we heard. Malice was pleased beyond words with Tuatha's deadly attitude. She was sure he would kill you when she ordered it."

"Nalfein? Did you say Nalfein? But you killed Nalfein the day I was born," Drizzt interrupted.

Dinin smirked. "The timing was very convenient, was it not? If Nalfein had not died that day, you would have been sacrificed to Lolth as the third son, as is customary. Of course I did not kill Nalfein! He was my brother! I loved him! We were both like you; struggling in a world of evil, hiding our good hearts. We would have helped you but you ran away to the surface and we never got the chance. Nalfein pretended to die so that you could live. Sadly, the sacrifice was not really worth it."

"You mean Nalfein is alive?" Drizzt demanded.

"Yes. Nalfein gave up his rank and name and position and pretended to die for you. He did it for Zak. He knew Zak wanted the chance to meet all his sons. Nalfein was willing to "die" and start anew if it meant Zak would be happy. Imagine his annoyance when you grew up to be a confused, idiotic snot with no sense of time or place! You treated everything like a struggle and made yourself miserable because of it. My brothers and I went with the flow and lived with our lives. You ran away to the surface before we could teach you anything at all! Nalfein was _beyond_ pissed when he heard he had given his life for you. Anyway, Zak and me did not see Nalfein for a long time after that. Zak was busy pretending to be Lopez and I was helping Matron Malice in her struggles to keep her house standing. She made sacrifice after sacrifice to Lolth all the years Tuatha was growing up and training to assassinate you but it simply was not enough. So she hit upon another desperate plan to stay alive until Tuatha was ready to hunt you down and kill you. Steel yourself for the impact of what I am about to tell you."

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	5. You Know Him Well

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Dinin continued, "There is a guild of woman in every drow House known as sexhunters. These women are skilled in the arts of disguise and seduction. They are used to lure enemy males into joining, and the resulting offspring are tortured or sacrificed to Lolth for more power and social standing. Matron Malice sent a sexhunters named Penelope after you to the surface. Penelope tracked you to the surface and found you. You were with a dwarf named Bruenor and his adopted twelve year-old daughter, Cattie-Brie. Penelope saw you liked the girl and she knew the like would turn to love as the girl grew into a woman. So Penelope killed the girl, disguised herself as a Cattie-Brie in the body of a girl and grew with you from a girl to a woman. Sure enough, you were hopelessly in love with Cattie-Brie aka Penelope and, when Cattie-Brie was sure she was pregnant with your child, she pretended to die, leaving behind a clone of her Cattie-Brie body to be grieved over. Penelope resumed her identity, returned to Malice, gave birth to Mai'Zak and resumed her life, now elevated by rank and position for her service to Malice.

"Mai'Zak lived a life of misery. He was beaten and starved and experimented on. He was tortured. His home was a cell in the lower levels of the family temple. Many people violated him. Matron Malice poked his eyes full of needles when he was six; he could never see again after that. He was alone and afraid in pain and darkness. You have no idea how traumatized he was. You see, the more Mai'Zak was tortured, the more power Lolth gave to Malice. Mai'Zak suffering endlessly was almost as pleasing as you, the traitor to our race, dead.

"Anyway, by means of torturing Mai'Zak, Malice kept her House standing long enough for Tuatha to complete his intense training. Mai'Zak was twelve by that time. Tuatha was given orders to hunt you down and kill you. But Tuatha refused to do so. He killed his mother. In the chaos that resulted, Zak, Tuatha, and me took Mai'Zak and fled. We had to hide and wait for Mai'Zak to recover from his injuries before we could travel to the surface, by which time House Do'Urden was a pile of rubble and good riddance!

"We came to the surface and lived with the elves. The elves gave Mai'Zak his guidewolf, Glimmer. Glimmer is trained to guide Mai'Zak on a safe path and to be his eyes. It took Mai'Zak and Glimmer some time to trust each other. It took us just as long to get used to the sun! With Glimmer to guide him, Mai'Zak could go anywhere he wanted without fear. He was incredibly happy. And then he wanted to come find you. Zak, Nalfein, and Tuatha are traveling to Luskan to stop an evil baroness from overtaking the city with an army of zombies. I was bringing Mai'Zak to you. But then he—he walked off the cliff . . ."

Drizzt was not sure what to say. His mind was whirling, struggling to absorb the reality of his life. All along, the drow had been there, manipulating him. He had not escaped them! It had all been an illusion! He, Drizzt Do'Urden, had a blind son! Zak was alive. His father was alive! He had two brothers he had never met. He had family again.

"Wait a minute, if Penelope was with me all along, why did she not kill me?" Drizzt demanded. "Why did she only steal my seed?"

"Sexhunters are not trained to kill, you idiot. Besides, having your child was more profitable. Your child could be tortured endlessly. You could only die once to please Lolth. So there you go."

"Did Nalfein come to the surface with you when you, Zak, Tuatha, and Mai'Zak fled the Underdark?" Drizzt asked.

"No; Nalfein was already here trying to teach you lessons in life. You know him quite well actually," Dinin replied.

Drizzt frowned. "I know very few drow and I am sure I would remember if one of them was my brother."

Dinin chuckled. "I would not be too sure. Nalfein is the _master_ of disguise. Trust me, you know him well."

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	6. Captured!

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Kalin groaned and opened his eyes. His body was sore. The sun shone down on him, causing him to blink. He could hear water running and feel it lapping at his feet. "Ilharn?" he moaned. "Ilharn!"

No one answered him. Kalin realized with a jolt that he was alone! The river had carried him away, even after he had passed out, exhausted from struggling. He was miles away from home, lost. How would he find ilharn?

Kalin struggled to sit up. The river had tossed him up on a rocky shore. Groaning, he finally sat up. Relief and alarm flooded through him as he saw that he was not alone. Someone else was lying on the rocks a ways down the beach but it was a dark elf. Drizzt had taught him to be cautious of any drow. As he watched, the dark elf sat up and looked directly at Kalin without seeming to see him. Kalin started. The dark elf was blind!

"Glimmer?" called the dark elf. In despair, he called again, "Glimmer! Please answer me, Glim!"

Kalin scrambled toward the dark elf. The dark elf was blind and probably could not hurt him. Maybe they could be friends and help each other out.

"Who is it?" the dark elf backed away from Kalin.

"Hi," Kalin said shyly. "I am not going to hurt you. The river brought me here. I fell in. what is your name?"

The dark elf moved forward and felt Kalin's face and body. His fingers were gentle and probing. He sat back after he finished his examination. "My name is Mai'Zak Do'Urden. Who are you? You are not that old, are you?"

"I am ten," Kalin said excitedly. "Do you know my ilharn?"

"I might. What is your father's name?"

"Drizzt Do'Urden. I am Kalin, his son."

Mai'Zak started. He looked in the direction of the water for a while, struggling with himself. Mai'Zak had thrown himself off the cliff into the river so he could die. That was the sad truth. But he had survived and he had intended to try to kill himself again. Mai'Zak did not want to live. But now he was on the beach, alone in darkness, without Glimmer, with his little brother. He could not leave Kalin alone. Kalin was young and confused and afraid. Mai'Zak turned to face Kalin. He said, "I know your father. He is my father to." The words cut at his soul. Yes, Drizzt was his father but he was a bad father. Mai'Zak had lived alone, unprotected, tortured for being Drizzt's son.

"Ilharn never told me I had a brother," Kalin said with a frown.

"Drizzt does not know I exist," Mai'Zak explained. "My mother left your father with me inside her."

"Why?"

"She did not like Drizzt," Mai'Zak said quietly. The truth was more complicated and best left in the dark for now.

"Oh. Can you help me get home?"

"Probably not. I am blind and I seem to have lost my guidewolf, Glimmer. She shows me the way."

Kalin was disappointed. "What are we going to do?"

"Where are we?" Mai'Zak asked.

"We are on a rocky shore. I can see grass on the bank above us. Should we climb up there?"

"Yes. There might be a road. May I hold your hand?"

"Sure," Kalin answered. "I can help you up the bank."

"Thank you," Mai'Zak said, placing his hand in Kalin's and standing up.

"How old are you?" Kalin asked, leading Mai'Zak across the beach. Mai'Zak followed him slowly but steadily.

"Thirty two."

"You are way older then me! Have you met ilharn?"

"No. I was coming to meet Drizzt but I fell into the river and ended up here instead."

"Were you alone?" Kalin asked.

"No. Glimmer was with me and so was my uncle, Dinin. Dinin is like a father to me."

"Ilharn said all his brothers were dead." Kalin scrambled up the riverbank onto flat ground. He leaned down and gave his hand back to Mai'Zak. "Here, follow my hand. The bank is not that steep."

Mai'Zak walked up the bank. He had sure footing. "Drizzt's brothers are not dead. They will come find us. They always come for me. I hope you will get to meet them."

"And I hope you get to meet ilharn. Wow, you are really brave! I would not dare take one step if I could not see! I cannot tell you are blind looking at you!" Kalin said admiringly.

"Well, I have a good guide," Mai'Zak said graciously. "Come, we will follow the river back upstream. We will eventually find your father since you were washed downstream."

"Okay," Kalin started walking, holding Mai'Zak's hand. "Do you think Glimmer will find you?"

"She always does. Even if the river carried her further downstream from us or if she never fell in, she will find me. We are bonded for life."

Kalin and Mai'Zak walked until the sun began to set. The riverbank was grassy and walking was easy. There was no road; only more grass going on forever. Then trees began to grow, flanking their side of the river. Kalin and Mai'Zak had to walk more slowly, climbing over tree trunks and around fallen brush.

"I can see a fire," Kalin said suddenly. "Should we ask them if we can stay with them for tonight? I am so hungry . . ."

"Maybe. What do the people look like?" Mai'Zak asked.

Kalin cautiously approached the campsite ahead through the trees. He could see the forms of about ten or twelve men and woman sitting around the fire. As he crept forward, he stepped on a stick and a sharp crack split the air. The men and women all turned to look at him and Mai'Zak. Kalin gulped.

"Hello, sonny," one man said, smiling pleasantly. "Are you lost?"

"Um, yes, sir," Kalin said uncertainly.

"Tell you what; you come stay with us for tonight and tomorrow we will try and get you and your brother home. How does that sound?"

"Okay," Kalin sat down by the fire. Mai'Zak sat down next to him. Kalin looked around. He saw the shadows of five wagons and ten horses in the woods. "Are you merchants?"

"Yep, sure are. We are traveling to Luskan. The road is right out through those trees," one of the men pointed.

Mai'Zak was silent, listening. He knew the men and women around him were dishonest. He could hear the lies in their honeyed voices. They were only being nice because they wanted something. He could hear the sound of paper tearing and the sound of powder being poured into food and stirred in. The bowls were passed to him and Kalin.

Mai'Zak ate the drugged food. If he resisted, the men would knock him out and do whatever they were going to do anyway. He was helpless to resist. He and Kalin could not run and they could not fight. They might as well accept their fate on full stomachs, fast asleep. It would be less painful for him and his brother.

Sure enough, the next morning, Mai'Zak and Kalin awoke in a dank, stuffy place, bound and gagged. Rough voices and harsh laughter echoed around them. The wagon they were in jolted on the road. The men and women were slave traders and Mai'Zak and Kalin were now part of their cargo.

Mai'Zak could sense the fear radiating off Kalin. Kalin was crying, alone and afraid. Mai'Zak was used to being alone and afraid. He was not scared. He, who had lived a life of terror, was not afraid of any pain or threat. But he did know he had to protect Kalin. Mai'Zak wriggled over to Kalin until Kalin was protectively wedged between him and the wall of their prison.

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	7. What The Heck?

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Drizzt took Dinin's hand and stood up. He felt a brief moment of dizziness before everything steadied. Dinin let go of Drizzt's hand. His grip was strong. Drizzt had been resting for the past week, recovering from the poison. Now he was well and eager to get on with his mission.

"Okay, we better get going. We will follow the river downstream until we find your sons. Or their bodies," Dinin said as he started walking.

Drizzt winced. "I was hoping you would be more optimistic."

"If only we had Glimmer with us," Dinin moaned. "She ran off after Mai'Zak fell into the river. Oh, disaster! If we had her, she could lead us right to Mai'Zak and Kalin. Unlucky day!"

Following the river from above on the cliff, the brothers traveled. Dinin jogged alone, skipping over tree trunks and rocks with surprising nimbleness.

"I have heard tales of your great skill with the blade," Dinin said, doing a handspring over a boulder. "Tell me, is it true?"

"Yes," said Drizzt with a shrug.

Dinin laughed, unfolding his body over a tree trunk and snapping to his feet. "I am glad you are so confident. You see, I too have great skill with the blade. We shall have to have a match, my brother!"

Drizzt consented, confident he could defeat Dinin in a duel. Dinin may have been older then him but Drizzt had had many decades of experience fighting and attaining perfection with his scimitars.

"Are you a good father?" Dinin asked.

Drizzt frowned. What was this? An abrupt change of the subject! "Yes."

"Who is Kalin's mother?"

"I do not know. I found Kalin as a baby on my doorstep," Drizzt answered.

"How do you know he is your son then?"

"Because his eyes are purple and he looks like me. Look, Dinin, this discussion is not important. Can we talk about something else?"

Dinin snorted. "Like what? Your great past fights and battles? No, thank you! If you cannot deal with questions that challenge you, you have sever emotional issues and you need to sort yourself out!"

Drizzt scowled. He longed to unsheathe his scimitars and teach Dinin a lesson. And just as he was about to do so, the thunder of horses' hooves filled the air. Dinin darted into the trees, dragging Drizzt with him. A bay horse charged into view, taking a grand jump over a fallen tree. The horse slowed to a halt, prancing as the heavily cloaked rider looked around. "I would have sworn I saw someone," the rider muttered. He whistled and a large golden wolf charged into sight.

"Glimmer!" Dinin exclaimed. "Tuatha!" He rushed out into the open.

The rider flung back his cloak, hopped off his horse, and gave Dinin a relieved hug. "Thank all the stars in the sky! When Glimmer came back to us alone eight days ago, we feared for your life! I am glad to see you well! Zak! Nalfein! Get over here! I found him!"

Dinin frowned. "Why would Glimmer go to you instead of Mai'Zak? Mai'Zak fell off the cliff into the river along with Kalin, Drizzt's ten year-old son. We are looking for them."

"Darn it, that is terrible! What a mess! We have got to find them. I had no idea Drizzt had another son! Was this one abandoned to?"

"Yes, on Drizzt's doorstep by a mother who did not want Kalin. Now that we have Glimmer, we should be able to find Mai'Zak and Kalin. Come meet your brother, Tuatha. Drizzt, I would like you to meet Tuatha Do'Urden." Dinin led Tuatha to Drizzt.

Drizzt stared curiously at Tuatha. Tuatha stood tall and straight, dressed in all black and dark blue clothes. He wore elbow-length gloves, a calf-length tunic with a skirt split into four sections over top of a ruffled black shirt. He wore knee-high leather boots with clunky heels and a full black cloak of shimmery silk. Hand crossbows were strapped to each leg. There was a dagger in his belt and he was carrying a heavy wood staff with intricate carvings. White hair was combed back from a beautiful, smooth face. Two narrow braids held the hair off Tuatha's face. His eyes were twinkling yellow. His eyebrows rose up in arches, his lips smiled, and his voice was pleasant as he asked, "Done staring?"

Drizzt jumped. Tuatha extended a gloved hand. "It is an honor to meet you. We have heard too much about you."

"I have heard much about you as well," Drizzt answered. "The honor is mine."

"Oho, has Dinin been spinning you tales of glory then? I dare say the tales do me no credit! I did not know you had a son. I am truly sorry he fell off the cliff. Pray he is yet alive."

"I am."

"You have heard about Mai'Zak, no doubt?" Tuatha said.

"Yes."

"Good. Here comes Zak. Hi, Zak! Look who Dinin brought with him!"

Another horse galloped into the clearing. Zaknafein reined in the animal and dismounted to hug Dinin. "I feared you might be dead! Glimmer came to us alone! What happened?"

"Plenty," Dinin answered. "For one thing, I found Drizzt and brought him along. For another thing, Mai'Zak and Kalin, Drizzt's ten year-old son, both fell into the river and we are looking for them. I am getting sick of repeating that."

Zak was looking more happy and alive then Drizzt had ever seen him. Zak came over to give Drizzt a strong embrace. Zak's body felt warm and muscular. "I am glad time finds you well, Drizzt. I am sorry about your son."

"Thank you, Zaknafein," Drizzt answered.

"Zak will do," Zak said pleasantly. "Or kel'naar, if you prefer."

Drizzt felt his ear tips get hot as Dinin snickered. Daddy indeed! He was not a baby! He could take care of himself!

"And now for the dramatic final act!" Dinin announced, bowing dramatically. "Steel yourself, Drizzt, and meet Nalfein Do'Urden, master of all things dishonest!"

Drizzt let go of Zak and stared curiously at Dinin. Now it was time to see who Nalfein was. What he saw nearly blew him away. With a flourish, Dinin moved aside. Artemis Enteri stepped out of the trees!

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 **Please review and let me know what you think. I have finally gotten around to writing this and I am really enjoying it! Are you? What do you think? How do you feel about the story and its ideas? Please let me know!**  
 **What do you think about the chapter title? Should I change it to "Deadly Surprise" instead? Or do you have a better idea for a title for this chapter? I would love to hear it! Your opinion is appreciated! Who is surprised and confused about parting shot/last sentence?  
**


	8. It Cannot Be True!

**Guest: Hold on until the next chapter and enjoy. Thanks for the review. Why do you think that? Do you not like the ideas I presented?**

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Drizzt's jaw hung open. Artemis smirked at him. "Been a long time, has it not, little brother?"

Dinin and Tuatha had collapsed in laughter. "His face! Oh, his face! It was so totally worth it!"

"T-there must be some mistake," Drizzt finally stammered, pleading with his family to tell him this nightmare was not true. "This is Artemis Enteri, an assassin who repeatedly tries to kill me."

"No human being can live this long and not age," Dinin scoffed. "Did you never wonder about that?"

"I assumed he had struck some despicable deal with the devil," Drizzt answered stiffly. "This cannot be Nalfein Do'Urden! It cannot be! He is not even a dark elf!"

"Nalfein, dear brother, would you please take off the mask and enlighten darling Drizzt?" Dinin asked sweetly.

Artemis reached up and slowly removed his face. As the mask left his skin, his hair became white and his skin chocolate brown. He looked grimly at Drizzt but a small smile tugged at his lips.

Drizzt suddenly felt very faint. He leaned back against a tree to steady himself. His arch nemesis, his lifetime enemy, was his brother? Impossible! Artemis had hunted him around the world, trying to kill him! Artemis could not be his brother! And yet Nalfein looked like his brother.

"That wicked man has been trying to kill me for years," Drizzt insisted. "He cannot be my brother! Please tell me he is not! I cannot deal with this!"

"I was not trying to kill you," Nalfein said. "I was trying to show you what you had become. Artemis was cold ns heartless because you were cold and heartless. In your hunt for goodness, you played an illusion on yourself and tried to hide from the fact that you were a killer. Artemis was a reflection of you, Drizzt, right down to the incident with the mask. You saw yourself in me and you hated me for it. You told me how to fix my problems but you never used that knowledge to help yourself. I was trying to help you, Drizzt."

Drizzt stared at Nalfein in disbelief.

"I am not lying," Nalfein said firmly. "Artemis is just a mask; my alias identity. I really am your brother, Drizzt, whether you like it or not."

Drizzt fumbled for an answer. This was too much for him. Artemis his brother? It could not be real. It was all some fantastic hallucination of his mind, triggered by Kalin's tragic death. It had to be! It had to be!

"We have a lot of catching up to do," Tuatha said. "Mount Mai'Zak's horse, Drizzt. We can ride and talk. No time to stop."

Drizzt obeyed in a half-daze. Once everyone was mounted, Zak said, "Take us to Mai'Zak, Glimmer!"

Glimmer sniffed the air and took off running down the top of the cliff. The five drow followed on their horses.

"Was Mai'Zak afraid to ride?" Drizzt asked, not wanting to deal with his disbelief of Artemis's identity right then.

"No. He was always willing to try new things. Mai'Zak was a bit unstable on horseback but he was not afraid," Dinin answered. "In fact, there was one time he climbed a tree."

Drizzt tried to imagine what climbing a tree blind was like. Riding a horse in darkness was frightening enough, but to climb a tree and be unable to see the strong branches from the weak ones . . . Drizzt looked over at Tuatha, posed easily on his horse. He did not think much of Tuatha's choice of weapons. A staff? Certainly not a suitable match for any decent bladed weapon.

Tuatha saw his disdainful expression and said, "That is a mistake all the dead have made and paid for with their lives. Say what you like; Zak thought I was a fool at first to. But I know myself and I know my staff."

Drizzt gave what he deemed a safe reply, "Dinin told me you killed the first Headmaster who tried to violate you."

"I did," Tuatha smirked. "And every Headmaster who dared to lay a hand on my body died the same fate! You see, I had eight years of extra training no one anticipated. I was a nightmare; handsomely attractive but impossible to get to. Those poor fools died of sick longing!" He laughed and guided his horse aside so Nalfein could ride next to Drizzt.

Nalfein filled Tuatha's place. Drizzt looked at Nalfein uncomfortably. Even without the mask, he saw the familiar movements of Enteri's shoulders and arms guiding his deadly blades toward Drizzt's heart. Seeing the familiar movements made him tense, remembering all the times the assassin had tried to kill him. Artemis had not bothered him in years. Drizzt had gone into hiding so he could raise Kalin in peace. He had been afraid Artemis would try to kill his son. And now the assassin was back, claiming to be his brother. Drizzt refused to believe it despite the obvious proof right before he eyes. Artemis Enteri was lying so he could stab Drizzt in the back later!

"So, why were you living in the middle of nowhere with your son?" Nalfein asked casually.

"I was afraid you might try to kill Kalin," Drizzt answered without thinking.

"Even Artemis Enteri would not use children to accomplish his ends," Nalfein objected indignantly. "Only wicked people do that! Like I said, I was not trying to kill you. If I had wanted to kill you, do you not think I would have done it already?"

"You have been trying to kill me forever," Drizzt answered. "And you fail every time."

Nalfein raised his eyebrows. "Oh, deary me! Drizzt, I lost to you repeatedly because I was not trying to win! I could have won any time. But you see, Artemis Enteri is not as good as Nalfein Do'Urden."

"You always said such outrageous things," Drizzt said thinly. "Everyone knows I am better then you."

Nalfein scowled. "We will see about that tonight! I challenge you to a duel to settle this once and for all. But tonight you will be fighting Nalfein Do'Urden! You keep that in mind, little brother!" He snapped the reins and galloped ahead to join Dinin. Drizzt needed to learn a lesson in humility and Nalfein was going to teach it to him! Drizzt was not going to steal his pride and continue to live in his little bubble of illusions!

"I see you have a duel tonight," Tuatha remarked. "What a pity! I was going to ask you to one."

"I have a duel with Dinin to," Drizzt said smugly. "But I am sure I could find time to give you a lesson after I am done teaching Nalfein and Dinin."

"Marvelous. I am looking forward to it. You must truly be a master if you think you can defeat Nalfein and Dinin and still find time for me! This show ought to be stunning!"

"I can easily deal with Dinin. And I have fought Nalfein in his petty disguise many times," Drizzt said with satisfaction. "I know him inside out!"

"Do you? Nalfein is a master of disguise," Tuatha said mysteriously.

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 **Review? What do you think so far? Like? Not like? What would you like?  
**


	9. Dancing

**The song does not belong to me. It is written by Charlie Puth and Jacob Kasher. Copyright Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. It is called Attention and I am just borrowing it. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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At sunset Glimmer stopped running and trotted off into the trees to hunt. The drow dismounted, tethered the horses, and lit a fire. Nalfein looked pointedly at Drizzt and gestured to a nice open space near the fire.

Zak, Dinin, and Tuatha sat on a long log by the fire, toasting their toes. They watched Nalfein and Drizzt walk out into the open and face each other with naked blades. Nalfein was using his dagger and saber; Drizzt had his beloved scimitars. The blades gleamed in the firelight.

"Here we go," Tuatha said comfortably. He reached into Zak's tunic, retrieved a small music box, and wound it up. Immediately the notes to a song that inspired action filled the air. Nalfein shoulders and hips swayed to the music.

Drizzt ignored the music. It was just an unimportant distraction that he easily tuned out. He thrust toward Nalfein. Nalfein rocked backwards, bowing with the music. Then, all in an instant, his saber came up, slicing past Drizzt's defenses. Cold steel rested on Drizzt's throat.

"That is impossible!" Drizzt gasped.

"Is it?" Nalfein said calmly, pressing the cold steel of his blade deeper into Drizzt's neck. "Why?"

"Because the speed with which you moved is—is impossible! Besides, the move leaves you open and defenseless. I could stab you now."

Nalfein stepped back, shaking his head. "You young idiot. I know this move leaves me open but, realistically, I would have slit your throat and you would not be alive to stab me. Nothing is impossible, Drizzt. I thought you said you were a master. Come, we must try again."

This time Drizzt was ready for Nalfein's deadly speed. He deflected Nalfein's predictable first attacks, throwing his brother's arms out wide, and double thrust at his brother's open, unprotected body. But Nalfein turned sideways, Drizzt's scimitars slipping past his back and stomach, bringing his dagger hand around to Drizzt's throat.

Drizzt could feel his anger rising. He was not going to stand here and be humiliated by the man he had defeated countless times. He swung his blades out at Nalfein's head; Nalfein ducked under them smoothly. He flung himself in a blind fury on Nalfein, but even then Nalfein evaded him, winning match after match with an expressionless face. Finally, defeated and broken, Drizzt picked himself up for the last time.

Nalfein sheathed his weapons. "I am sorry, Drizzt. I did not realize winning meant so much to you. But I had to prove to you that I was not lying. Come eat!"

Drizzt slumped to the fire and sat down to eat, refusing to meet his brothers pitying looks. He was nothing now. Artemis Enteri had played with him all along. His skill with the blade was nothing compared to Nalfein's. Why should he continue to fight if Nalfein was more then he ever could be? His life was useless now. The world did not need him anymore. Why should it? It had Nalfein!

A hand landed on Drizzt's shoulder. Drizzt stiffened. He turned his head. It was Tuatha.

"OW!" Drizzt exclaimed as Tuatha began to massage his shoulders. "What are you doing?"

"I am massaging the kinks out of your hopelessly knotted muscles. Your muscles have ached after exercise but you ignored them, did you not? Now you are used to their unnatural position and they do not hurt. But seriously. Your muscles are a hopeless mess! Take off your shirt."

Drizzt winced as Tuatha's hands kept working on his shoulders. His muscles were strong and hard. Why were they suddenly hurting? They never hurt.

"I am unknotting some nerves; you might feel some pain," Tuatha said. "How can you stand living in a body tied up with knots? I am sure you are not in pain but I think unconsciously your soul is bound in a prison of twisted nerves and muscles. Come on; take off your shirt."

Drizzt finally consented. Tuatha's massage felt good. He slipped off his shirt and tunic. His bare skin glistened in the firelight. Tuatha dipped his hands into a box of grease and slathered it all over Drizzt's back, shoulders, and neck. His hands began to rub the oil into Drizzt's dry skin. Drizzt groaned. His back was on fire!

"It will hurt for a bit," Tuatha apologized. "You should take better care of yourself, you know. But when I am done with you, you will be in paradise."

At the moment Drizzt did not feel that such a miracle was possible. As he was eating, Glimmer came out of the woods. She sniffed Drizzt and sat down next to him.

"At least we will not be stuck with the problem of dragging Glimmer off Drizzt," Dinin remarked.

"Would you all like to meet Guenhwyvar?" Drizzt asked.

"Glimmer might not like her," Zak replied.

"Who wants to take the risk?" Dinin said cheerfully. "Okay, bro, call your cat!"

Drizzt held up his figurine of Guenhwyvar. He silently called to Guen and the giant black panther erupted out of thin air. She turned to Drizzt with a pleased hiss. Then she spied Glimmer and crouched low, spitting.

"Easy, Guen," Drizzt said nervously.

Glimmer snarled, baring all her teeth. She tensed, ready to spring. Guenhwyvar sprang first and Glimmer flew to meet her. A hissing, spitting fur ball erupted in the center of the glade. Glimmer refused to obey Zak's orders and Guen ignored Drizzt's frantic yelling. Guen had never met another astral animal like herself before and she was not going to let the opportunity just pass her by.

Zak ordered Glimmer back in drow. After one more ferocious snarl, Glimmer trotted obediently to Zak and sat down by him, keeping an eagle eye over Guen. Guenhwyvar licked her paws and lay down at Drizzt's feet, washing herself with satisfaction. Drizzt reached down to pat her head. Tuatha continued to rub Drizzt's lower back. His back was no longer hurting. He was feeling light and tingly all over. He closed his eyes in appreciation of the massage and sighed. He opened them as Nalfein and Dinin stood up, touching wrists, and began to dance, singing a song along to the music issuing from the music box. Drizzt was held spellbound. It was a beautiful dance, full of swaying and twisting. Nalfein and Dinin sang with amazing expression, displaying the words with their bodies and facial expressions:

Oh-oh, ooh  
You've been runnin' round, runnin' round, runnin' round throwin' that dirt all on my name  
'Cause you knew that I, knew that I, knew that I'd call you up  
You've been going round, going round, going round every party in L.A.  
'Cause you knew that I, knew that I, knew that I'd be at one, oh

I know that dress is karma, perfume regret  
You got me thinking 'bout when you were mine, oh  
And now I'm all up on ya, what you expect?  
But you're not coming home with me tonight

You just want attention, you don't want my heart  
Maybe you just hate the thought of me with someone new  
Yeah, you just want attention, I knew from the start  
You're just making sure I'm never gettin' over you

you've been runnin' round, runnin' round, runnin' round throwing that dirt all on my name  
'Cause you knew that I, knew that I, knew that I'd call you up  
Baby, now that we're, now that we're, now that we're right here standing face-to-face  
You already know, already know, already know that you won, oh

I know that dress is karma (dress is karma), perfume regret  
You got me thinking 'bout when you were mine (you got me thinking 'bout when you were mine)  
And now I'm all up on ya (all up on ya), what you expect? (oh baby)  
But you're not coming home with me tonight (oh no)

You just want attention, you don't want my heart  
Maybe you just hate the thought of me with someone new  
Yeah, you just want attention, I knew from the start  
You're just making sure I'm never gettin' over you, oh

What are you doin' to me, what are you doin', huh?  
(What are you doin'?)  
What are you doin' to me, what are you doin', huh?  
(What are you doin'?)  
What are you doin' to me, what are you doin', huh?  
(What are you doin'?)  
What are you doin' to me, what are you doin', huh?

I know that dress is karma, perfume regret  
You got me thinking 'bout when you were mine  
And now I'm all up on ya, what you expect?  
But you're not coming home with me tonight

You just want attention, you don't want my heart  
Maybe you just hate the thought of me with someone new  
Yeah, you just want attention, I knew from the start  
You're just making sure I'm never gettin' over you (over you)

What are you doin' to me? (hey) what are you doin', huh? (what are you doin', what?)  
What are you doin', huh? (what are you doin' to me?)  
(What are you doin', huh?) (yeah, you just want attention)  
What are you doin' to me, what are you doin', huh? (I knew from the start)  
(You're just making sure I'm never gettin' over you) what are you doin' to me, what are you doin', huh?  
Oh, oh."

When the song and dance was over, Nalfein and Dinin collapsed, laughing.

"That was beautiful," Drizzt said in awe.

Dinin shrugged. "This was not one of our good nights. We did better the day we parted. Remember that song?" He punched Nalfein on the shoulder.

"Oh, I do," Nalfein agreed.

"Feeling better?" Tuatha asked. He handed Drizzt his shirt back.

"Yes," Drizzt answered. And he did. He felt happy.

"Good. Expect another massage tomorrow night. And another song. I bet your back is feeling smooth and harmonious, eh?"

Drizzt tested his back muscles. His muscles has never moved so smoothly before. "Yes, they—ow! What are you doing _now_?"

"Combing out your hair. Do you never bother to comb it? Your hair is filthy! You should bathe more often! I hope Kalin is cleaner then you."

"Kalin is perfectly clean," Drizzt said stiffly.

"Well, that would be just like you; helping others but never taking care of yourself," Nalfein remarked unkindly.

Drizzt frowned. Glimmer yawned and looked at Dinin. Dinin nodded. "You go on home now, Glim. I know you are tired. Another long day tomorrow, eh?"

Glimmer padded over to Dinin. She vanished in a flash of light, leaving behind a small figurine of herself. Dinin reached down and pocketed the figurine. He nodded at Drizzt, "Yep, she goes to the astral plane to rest, just like Guen. But she does not need a doorway; she makes her own. Cool, huh?"

"I did not know guidewolves were astral animals," Drizzt said.

"Guidewolves are elven wolves with magical abilities. They have an immortal lifespan. When Glimmer grows older, she will be able to blink in and out of the astral and material planes, effectively teleporting short distances. I am looking forward to that!"

"Is Glimmer going to get bigger?" Drizzt asked in surprise.

"Obviously. Glimmer is still only technically a puppy. She will grow to me three or four times the size of Guen," Dinin said calmly.

The thought of such a large animal was almost alarming. And the thought of such a huge, ferocious beast being gentle enough to guide a helpless, blind boy was even more inconceivable. Drizzt was going to have to see it to believe it.

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 **Guest: Why did you think Drizzt was in a bad coma or on drugs?**


	10. The Only Way

Kalin whimpered as Opak, one of the slavers, dragged him out of the wagon and shoved him against the wheel next to Mai'Zak. His hands were untied so he could eat. Mai'Zak was eating beside him. Kalin ate his food and leaned against his older brother, cold and tired. Mai'Zak put an arm around him. A few tears slid down Kalin's cheeks. He did not want to be sold as a slave. He wanted ilharn. He wanted ilharn's strong arms to hold him. He wished ilharn would hurry up and save him.

"I will not let anyone hurt you, Kalin," Mai'Zak said quietly.

"But you are blind. What if we get separated and sold to different owners? What if ilharn never finds us? What if we live our whole lives as slaves?"

Mai'Zak had never felt so helpless in his life. He pulled Kalin closer to him, wishing for the first time in his life that he could see again. He had often wished for his sight back but only in moments when he needed something to wish for. Now he truly needed his sight so he could protect Kalin. Blind, he was helpless. Without his sight, he could not run away and Kalin would not go without him. What if he and Kalin were separated? He would be powerless to prevent it. And Kalin would not take any opportunity at escape without him. If only he could see to run! There was so much he would be able to do if he could see! He could protect Kalin. He would not be a burden to his uncles. He would not be afraid of Drizzt's judgment. He could enjoy all the beauty around him. He could see the sun . . . tears leaked out of Mai'Zak's colorless eyes. If he could not protect the ones he loved and he only endangered their lives, why was he even alive?

"Ilharn hits me sometimes," Kalin said dreamily. "There was this time I was looking at his scimitars. I was just looking at them but ilharn was angry with me. He started yelling and he took me outside and hit me with a whip five times. He did not want to do it. He looked so sad. Why do you think he hit me if he did not want to?"

Mai'Zak scowled. Thoughts of torture and pain entered his mind. Drizzt had suffered as any drow normally suffered in Menzoberanzan. How could he stand to hurt a child after all he had been though? It was extremely cruel of him. And all over scimitars! He was just about to answer when a pack of wolves burst into the camp. They fell upon Opak and tore the man apart. He died screaming. The wolves' organs hung out of their bodies. Ribs showed through torn flesh. Flies crawled over weeping blood. Maggots squirmed though open patches of skin. A horrible stench came from the undead animals. The slavers attacked the wolves as the wolves attacked them. Wolves chewed apart slaves, helpless to defend themselves bound. Screams and blood filled the air.

Kalin wanted to scream but Mai'Zak's hand clamped over his mouth prevented it. Mai'Zak whispered something and took his hand away. The brothers untied the ropes binding their feet. Kalin took Mai'Zak's hand and crawled underneath the wagon behind them. Once on the other side, the brothers stumbled to their feet and ran. Kalin ran for the woods lining the road, holding tight to Mai'Zak's hand. he knew they had to get away from the undead wolves or they were as good as dead. It was harder for Mai'Zak to run in the woods because he could not see the trees or the brush but the thought of undead wolves kept him going.

"I think we lost them," Kalin gasped. His lungs were on fire, burning in his chest. His legs were had no sensation. He could barely take another step. His heart choked his throat. He and Mai'Zak stumbled through the woods, looking for a good place to hide. Kalin's legs were raw from being lashed by trees and thorns. Blood seeped from the cuts. The cuts began to sting as sensation returned. Tears came into Kalin's eyes. The thought of rotting flesh and pitiless, tearing teeth was the only thing that kept him going until he collapsed in a faint.

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 **You made it this far! Are you enjoying it? Any suggestions? I appreciate your feedback.**


	11. Howling

Glimmer sniffed the corpses in the road. Then she tilted her head back and howled. A moment later five horses galloped out of the trees into view on the open road.

"OH no," Dinin said hoarsely, seeing the corpses from a distance. "Please tell me it is not Mai'Zak."

The stench of rotting flesh filled the air as the horses came nearer to the site of death and decay. The dead bodies of men and woman lay in the road, covered in bites. Zombie wolves lay around them, guts and maggots spilling onto the ground. A swarm of flies rose like a thick cloud. All the bodies had rotted unnaturally fast.

Tuatha dismounted. He signaled to Zak and his brothers to stay back as he cautiously approached the bodies. With his staff, he searched among them, rolling over each body. Squirming maggots and a fresh wave of horrible stink was all he found. Wolves lay speared. Wagons were overturned, the unfortunate bodies of bound slaves crushed beneath them, then chewed almost beyond recognition. Tuatha's throat constricted as he saw the bodies of two young children. Grieved by the awful sight but relieved he had not found Mai'Zak's body, Tuatha jogged back to his horse, resisting the urge to vomit.

"Mai'Zak is not here," Tuatha reported as he mounted his horse. "But we should burn everything here. Fire is the only thing that will destroy this foul sickness. The wolves were undead, from Luskan."

"Did you—did you find Kalin?" Drizzt asked fearfully.

"No. I found the bodies of two children around his age." As Drizzt started to dismount, Tuatha said gently, "Drizzt, the bodies are unrecognizable. Even if one of them was Kalin . . . . ."

Tears pricked Drizzt's eyes. What a horrible fate for his son. If Kalin had survived the river only to be captured by slavers and then meet this end . . .

Nalfein, Dinin, and Zak set fire to the wagon. They shoved one of the still upright wagons into the middle of the heap of bodies and tossed a torch onto the canvas cover. Silently they watched the wagons and corpses burn to ashes.

"Kalin may still be alive," Tuatha told Drizzt. "There is still hope."

Glimmer barked. She had found the scent of her beloved bond mate! She looked impatiently at her drow friends. Mounting their horses, the drow followed Glimmer into the trees. Glimmer became more and more frantic, running faster and faster. Mingled with Mai'Zak's scent was a scent she did not recognize but also the scent of zombie wolves! Her friend's life was in danger!

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 **If you made it this far, how do you like it? Any thoughts/suggestions? I would love to hear whatever is going on in your head right now.**


	12. Brave Sacrifice

Mai'Zak was curled up with Kalin in his arms. They were resting beneath two fallen tree trunks. One trunk made a wall behind them while the other trunk lay over their heads. Moss and vines hung down before them and hide them from view. Kalin was sleeping, exhausted. But Mai'Zak was awake and alert in case any of the zombie wolves had followed them. He smelt them before they came. Hurriedly, he crawled out from under the tree trunk and stumbled away from it. The wolves would follow him if they saw him. He would lead them away from Kalin. The wolves would chase him and kill him. But at least the wolves would not find Kalin. Kalin would be safe. It was the only way he could protect his brother.

Mai'Zak fled blindly. He could hear the zombie wolves crashing through the brush behind him. Miraculously, he did not trip or fall once. One wolf made a bold approach, leaping on Mai'Zak and bringing him to the ground. Claws raked Mai'Zak's back. Teeth tore into his arm and leg. Mai'Zak screamed, struggling. But the wolf was too heavy. The wolves surrounded him, the stench of rot overwhelming.

Suddenly Glimmer burst out of the trees and streaked to protect Mai'Zak. Mai'Zak knew it was she even without being able to see. The sound of horses' hooves came from behind her. The wolves turned from Mai'Zak to face the new threat. Mai'Zak crawled back against and tree, vomiting.

Tuatha unstrapped the crossbows from his legs and released both bolts. Two zombie wolves went down with his bolts in their eyes. Tuatha returned the empty crossbows to his legs and dismounted. He squeezed his hand on his staff and a long blade shot out of either end of the wood. He moved with incredible speed, the staff's blade flashing. The blades stabbed into zombie wolves and came away in a spray of black blood.

Dinin urged his horse toward Mai'Zak. Zak and Nalfein covered him as he quickly dismounted and scooped up Mai'Zak. Mai'Zak cried out in terror, struggling, but Dinin held him tight, gently reassuring him he was safe now. He remounted his horse as Mai'Zak stopped struggling. His nephew relaxed, curling against him. Mai'Zak was sick and dizzy but he had to tell his uncle about Kalin. They had to find him.

"You have to find him, Dinin," Mai'Zak gasped. "Glim—mer, you have to find him! You have to! Please! He could die! Glimmer, help me! Dinin, let me go!"

Mai'Zak bit Dinin. Dinin yelped, loosening his hold on Mai'Zak. Mai'Zak slithered to the ground and held out his hands to Glimmer. She sniffed them. "His scent is all over me, Glimmer. Go find him. Please go find him. The wolves could have killed him. Go! I will be all right."

Mai'Zak lay panting. Dinin knelt by him, frowning. He waved to Drizzt and Nalfein, "Go follow Glimmer. There may be someone else out there in need of aid. Tuatha, since you have killed all the wolves, Mai'Zak needs tending to."

Tuatha tightened his grip on his staff and the blades sank back into the wood. He moved away from the dead wolves surrounding him. Dinin picked up Mai'Zak. Zak lit a fire, waving impatiently to Nalfein and Drizzt to follow Glimmer. With a last look at his blind son, Drizzt followed Nalfein and Glimmer into the trees.

* * *

 **If you made it this far, how do you like it? Any thoughts/suggestions? I would love to hear whatever is going on in your head right now. You think it is pretty bad, huh?  
**


	13. Abuse

Glimmer led the way confidently through the forest with Nalfein and Drizzt' horses right behind her. She bounded over brush and through some thickly growing trees. A sharp crack rang through the forest, followed by the sound of screaming. Glimmer ran faster. She and the horses charged through a thicket of brambles and jumped over two fallen tree trunks, landing next to two zombie wolves. Nalfein sliced the head off one zombie wolf; Drizzt stabbed the other. The screaming continued, coming from under the tree trunks.

Glimmer barked and wagged her tail. Then she whimpered and tried to squeeze under the tree trunk. The tree trunk was close to the ground and there was no space for the wolf to get under it. Some of the branches holding the tree trunk off the ground split and cracked. Another terrorized scream filled the air.

"Please get me out of here! It will crush me! I know it will! Please! I will do whatever you ask. I promise I will! Please save me!"

"Kalin?" Drizzt started. "Kalin!"

"Ilharn? Ilharn! The tree trunk is crushing me! Get me out! I do not want to die! I am sorry I disobeyed you. I really am. I will never disobey you again! I promise! Get me out!"

Nalfein was already working. He grabbed a coil of rope off his saddle and looped it firmly around the tree trunk behind the one Kalin was under. He fastened the other ends of the rope to his and Drizzt's horses and cantered them forward. The rope pulled tight and the horses strained forward.

"Get ready to grab him or he will be crushed," Nalfein yelled to Drizzt. "Once the tree trunk begins to roll, you will only have a minute before the other tree trunk collapses. You should be able to pull him out from this side; it is higher up off the ground."

Drizzt posed tensely, ready to grab his son. Kalin was crying, sounding afraid and broken. Poor Kalin. What had he been through? Still, he was still going to be punished for disobeying. Disobedience had to be punished.

The tree trunk rolled over. Branches cracked. Kalin screamed. Drizzt dove like lightning, snatching his son and dragging him out from under the tree trunk just as it smashed to the ground. Drizzt tripped backwards and tumbled over the trunk attached to the rope behind him. He landed on his back with Kalin on top of him, bruised and dirty. Kalin buried his face in the crook of Drizzt's shoulder and neck and cried.

Nalfein calmly untied the rope from the tree trunk and coiled it back up. Drizzt sat up and Nalfein looked at him. "Shall we get back to camp?"

Kalin raised his head at the unfamiliar voice. "W-who is he?"

"This is my brother, Nalfein," Drizzt said. He set Kalin on his feet and stood up.

Kalin gulped. He would have to tell Nalfein Mai'Zak was probably dead. The thought of Mai'Zak caused more tears to well up in his eyes. The wolves had eaten Mai'Zak. Mai'Zak had comforted him and held him and now Mai'Zak was gone. He blinked as Drizzt set him on his horse and climbed up behind him. The horses started forward with Glimmer running ahead.

"T-the wolves ate him," Kalin finally stammered, peeking at Nalfein from behind Drizzt's cloak.

"Who did the wolves kill?" Nalfein asked kindly.

"M-m-m-Mai'Zak. He was my brother only his mother ran away with him inside her because she did not like ilharn. He-he was so n-nice to me. T-the w-wolves k-killed him. I h-hate wolves!" Kalin huddled against his father, weeping. Drizzt's strong arm held him steady on the horse while the other one held the reins. Kalin was scared to; he knew ilharn was going to punish him.

"Mai'Zak is not dead, Kalin," Nalfein said gently. "He is alive and well. He got a few bites and scratches but Tuatha is looking after him right now. He is going to be fine."

Kalin brightened. "Really? I-I really love him. He took care of me and protected me from the slavers."

Nalfein nodded. "I am sure Mai'Zak took good care of you. How did you end up getting separated?"

"We ran away from the wolves. I fell asleep and, when I woke up, Mai'Zak had run off. I-I could hear him screaming," Kalin gulped.

"I see. Well, you can tell us the whole story once you are fed and rested." Nalfein snapped the reins and galloped up ahead. He was anxious about Mai'Zak. Was Mai'Zak okay?

Kalin leaned back against his father. He knew soon Drizzt would get angry and scold him for his disobedience and he was not looking forward to it. He knew Drizzt was going to punish him to "teach him a lesson" and he was frightened of it. Drizzt's "lessons" hurt. He did not want to be punished right in front of Nalfein and Mai'Zak. The humiliation would hurt more then the beating. And the dread was killing him. He tugged on Drizzt's cloak to get his father's attention, swallowing hard as Drizzt said, "What?"

"Punish me now," Kalin blurted.

Drizzt jerked on the reins and the horse stopped. "What?"

"I know you are going to punish me for disobeying you earlier on the cliff," Kalin said uncomfortably. "So punish me now instead of waiting."

Drizzt considered Kalin's request. If Kalin had obeyed him and come home at the required time, the thugs never would have got him. It had been a small thing at the time until Drizzt had seen the consequences of Kalin's disobedience. And the consequences had been such that Kalin had nearly died. Before the attack, going to find his son, Drizzt was not going to punish his son for not coming home on time. But now Kalin had to be punished. The important thing was that Kalin listened to him no matter what he said, even if it was coming home when he was told. He understood why Kalin wanted to be punished now. He did not want to humiliate Kalin; just punish him for disobeying.

"Very well," Drizzt said, holding Kalin's wrist as Kalin slid off the horse. He dismounted and unclipped the reins from the horse's bridle. The reins would do just as well as the lash back at home or his belt.

Kalin drew in a deep breath as Drizzt doubled the reins over in his hands. Drizzt came toward him, looking grim.

"Do you know why you are being punished, Kalin?" Drizzt asked.

"Y-yes, ilharn. I am being punished for disobeying you the night I fell off the cliff. I-I disobeyed you by not coming home on time and—and because of that, the thugs got me."

"That is correct. I gave you the freedom to roam the woods as long as you came home every day at a certain time. And you disrespected my orders and me by not coming home that night. Because of that, the thugs got you and you fell of the cliff. If you had obeyed me, none of this would have happened and I would not have to punish you now. Now that we are clear and you understand the reason you are being punished, turn around."

Kalin held back a whimper. He clenched his fists as he turned around. He was not going to beg for pardon no matter how much he wanted to escape the beating. He was not going to cry out either. He would show Drizzt he was strong. The reins came down. Kalin grabbed ahold of the branch ahead of him and held on tight, gritting his teeth. Drizzt hit him harder. Kalin almost groaned. Drizzt put even more force into the blows, determined to make Kalin cry out. Kalin whimpered. On the last five lashes, Kalin cried out in pain, tears coming into his eyes and streaming down his cheeks.

Drizzt took Kalin by the shoulders and turned him around. Kalin clenched his fists and looked up into his father's stern eyes, trying to hold back his tears. Tears shamed him before his father.

"What have you learned?" Drizzt asked strictly.

"N-never to disobey you," Kalin stammered. "A-and I will not; not ever again. I am sorry I-I disobeyed you that night."

"Your apology is accepted." Drizzt stepped away and clipped the reins back on his horse's bridle. The thing about punishing Kalin was that Kalin usually hated him for a little while afterwards but Kalin knew he was utterly dependent on his father and the hate faded over a short time. Drizzt knew this and therefore he felt no qualms about punishing Kalin. He knew the pain would fade and heal. The pain would teach Kalin to respect him and it was only temporary. It was the only way to keep unruly children in order. At least, that was what he believed.

Kalin stood still, tears spilling down his face. He wanted to stop crying but he could not. Drizzt looked at him sternly. Kalin turned and fled. He could not bear to be anywhere near Drizzt. Drizzt had hurt him. Again. The pain of the recent beating refused to allow him to hurl himself into Drizzt's arms and weep. Drizzt would be full of disapproval and tell him pain was nothing to fear and he had to control it. The truth was, Drizzt did not care.

"Kalin!" Drizzt yelled. "Come back here right now!"

Kalin refused to obey his father. He knew he would have to go back eventually and that he would be punished again but he did not care. His pride had been hurt. Drizzt had torn it away from him again and he was not going back to him until he had no choice. He ran into the trees blindly, tears blurring his vision.

Drizzt scowled. He was about to mount his horse and chase after Kalin when he saw Zak's face. Zak had been standing there the whole time! And Zak did not look happy. Zak came toward him, arms folded, looking blacker then usual with rage.

"What?" Drizzt demanded. "I had every right to do what I did."

Zak circled Drizzt. "That depends on what you believe in. Okay, you had the right to beat your son. The question is: should you? You are monstrous, Drizzt. Monstrous. I am your father. What you just did was wrong and cruel. I have every right to punish you."

"Kalin has to learn to obey me," Drizzt argued. "I was beaten many times as a child, more cruelly then what I just did to him and more often! He should consider himself lucky! What would you do instead?"

"Do you think I enjoyed hurting you as a teenager?" Zak demanded. "I took no joy in it! I would have preferred to settle matters of punishment nonviolently. But I had no choice. I had to whip you."

"Just as I have to whip Kalin. There is no other way to teach him respect."

"You are acting like your sisters, Drizzt. Your horrible, wicked sisters who enjoyed torturing you mercilessly as a small child. Do you not feel any hurt when you hit Kalin? Can you not feel his pain? The pain you are inflicting on your own child? Do you not feel any sorrow?"

"No, because he deserves punishment. If he listens to me, there would be no need to punish him," Drizzt said firmly. "It teaches him respect."

"Well then, I am sure you must have great respect for me, eh? Because I beat the crap out of you many times. I did not want to and it hurt me more then it hurt you. But if you feel nothing at all, you are nothing more then a heartless child abuser. It seems I need to teach you a lesson," Zak said, unclipping the horse reins once more. "Turn around."

Drizzt folded his arms. "No. I have done nothing wrong."

"That is exactly what Kalin would say if he had the courage to speak to you truthfully," Zak said. "But I am sure you think he did everything wrong. I think you have done a wicked and monstrous thing therefore I am going to punish you. Turn. Around."

"You would not dare!" Drizzt spat.

"Tut tut. Young man, you need to learn respect and obedience. When I order you to turn around, I expect you to obey me no. Matter. What. After all, that is what you believe in, is it not?"

Drizzt scowled.

"Do you know why you are being punished?" Zak asked sweetly.

"No," Drizzt said defiantly, prepared to fight.

"You are being punished for abusing your son!" Zak yelled. He flung the reins in Drizzt's face and stepped away, panting. "I am not going to hit you. It would hurt me as it should hurt any parent to see their child in pain. I am not going to lower myself to your level! Go rot! I am sure you do not care that you just hurt Kalin, that you are taking advantage of his need for you. Let him cry his eyes out to the trees without comfort for all I care! You are a terrible father! I am disappointed with you!" He turned and stormed off into the woods.

Drizzt clenched the reins in his hand. This was it. The last straw. Kalin was his son. He could raise him however he wanted to. Zak had no right to intervene. He was raising Kalin the only way he knew how. It was an easy way that employed corporal punishment, fear, and discipline to keep children in order. It was a lazy way.

Drizzt sat down and buried his face in his hands. Yes, it was a lazy way to raise a child; avoiding any real conversations about emotions. But Drizzt could not deal with emotions. He had lived his whole life hiding from his emotions, killing to keep them bottled away. To talk to Kalin about his behavior would be too hard for him. Punishing him was simpler. Pain taught Kalin everything he needed to know. Pain taught Kalin to fear his father's displeasure and be very careful around him. Pain taught Kalin he could not come to his father when he needed help or comfort. Pain kept Kalin in check. But it was a cruel thing to do to a child. It took away Kalin's self-expression. It took away Kalin's trust of his father. Kalin had to force himself to forget the pain when he needed his father to help him. Kalin had to put aside his pride and hurt feelings. Kalin . . . what had he done? What had he been doing all this time? He had made things worst by vowing to make Kalin cry out every time he punished him; that had been an unnecessary and malicious thing to do. It was something malicious drow did. The pain Kalin must be in! Drizzt cursed himself. He went to find Kalin on foot, leaving the horse behind. Zak was probably still in the area. Zak could deal with the horse.

Drizzt had no trouble tracking Kalin. Kalin had run, leaving behind a trail of broken sticks and footprints. He heard Kalin's loud, harsh sobs and paused self-consciously behind a tree. How hard could this really be? He took a deep breath and stepped around the side of the tree.

Kalin was curled up on a mossy spot under a tree, crying his heart out. He saw Drizzt and immediately cowered back, his eyes on the reins in Drizzt's hand. Ilharn was here to punish him again! He did not want to be punished again. He was already in a lot of pain. He looked up pleadingly at his father, not above falling on his knees and begging for pardon this time. He crawled to his father's feet, choking on his sobs. He could not control himself enough to speak.

For the first time Drizzt felt sick. This should not be happening. Kalin should not be doing this; he was begging like a slave! He was Drizzt's son! He should not so afraid. Drizzt realized normally he would have beaten Kalin again for his disobedience. Now he felt sick to his stomach. He dropped the reins and knelt down by Kalin, knowing he had to comfort his son.

"Kalin, sweetheart, I am not going to punish you again. I promise. Come here."

"No! I hate you!" Kalin cried, clenching his fists. "Go away and leave me alone! I hate you! You hurt me again!"

"Please come here, Kalin," Drizzt said gently. "I am sorry I hurt you. Please come here."

Kalin nuzzled against him, his shoulders shaking. His tears wet Drizzt's shirt. Drizzt wrapped his arms around his son and held him tight. Kalin whimpered. Drizzt loosened his hold a little. He was probably squeezing Kalin's bruises from the punishment to tightly.

"I am sorry, Kalin. I truly am. I am not going to hit you ever again."

"You always say that afterwards," Kalin sniffed disdainfully. "You always say how sorry you are and how much it hurt you to punish _me_. But you never mean it."

"Yes, I do," Drizzt said.

"No, you do not mean it. Because if you did, you would stop hitting me to teach me lessons. You only say you are sorry to make me feel bad so I will obey you next time. I never learn anything, ilharn! I just learn to be scared you are going to punish me if I say or do something you do not like! Whenever I want to do something fun I have to stop and wonder if you are going to get mad at me for doing it and say it was dangerous."

"Some of the things you want to do are dangerous, Kalin. Look, I am just frightened I am going to lose you to some accident. I am trying to protect you from harm."

"Yeah, well, that is great," Kalin said sarcastically. "Gee, I wonder what you are protecting me from when you punish me, huh?"

Drizzt groaned. This had all been so simple before. Nothing had to be explained with such depth. A few lashes of the whip solved everything. Discussions like this did not have to be had. Discussions like this forced him to question himself. He did not like questioning himself. Thinking about tactics and war was one thing. Thinking about emotional explanations was something else entirely.

"I believed you when you said you were sorry for punishing me the first time. And the second time to. But after the third and fourth and fifth and tenth and twentieth time I stopped believing you. You were lying to me! You were lying to me! I hate you!" Kalin sobbed, curling into a tight ball.

Drizzt stroked his son's white hair. "I am really sorry this time. I love you too much to be able to bear loosing you. After you fell off the cliff, I was in a lot of pain inside."

"Not enough to not punish me for disobeying you that night," Kalin muttered. "I fell off the cliff and I did not die! So what if I want to climb a really high tree? You had no right to tell me to come down because I might fall! And I bet the fall would not have killed me anyway! You have done a million really dangerous things and no one stopped you! You are just selfish and you will not give me any freedom at all!"

Drizzt drew in a deep breath. "How are we going to get anywhere if you refuse to be believe me? I am sorry, Kalin. I am not lying to you this time. I promise."

"I feel like I am being kept in a cage," Kalin mumbled. "I actually had a lot of fun with Mai'Zak. Until the slavers got us. You were not there to tell me what I could and could not do. Mai'Zak did not care what I did. He would have let me climb a tree."

"Mai'Zak does not love you as much as I do, Kalin. One day you will understand." How could he explain the reaction that came over him when he saw Kalin doing something dangerous? Instantly the worst possible scenario came to his mind and he was forced to forbid Kalin to do whatever he was doing ever again for fear something horrible would happen to his son.

"One day I will be grown up and you will have punished me many more times. And then I will probably think it is okay to do to my kids and I will punish them to and they will do it to their kids and it will never end."

"That is looking far ahead into the future, Kalin. You do not know that," Drizzt said gently.

"I love you, ilharn," Kalin choked. "Do you punish me so much because my mother abandoned me like a piece of trash? Do you hate me?"

"Of course not, Kalin! I love you! I love you so much! You are not a piece of trash. How could you think that? Have I been such a bad father?" Drizzt was indignant.

Kalin shrugged. "I dunno. I just thought it was a good reason for your attitude toward me. If you loved me so much, you would let me do some of the things I wanted. I have to sneak and do them and then you catch me and punish me. I love you so much, ilharn. But you are always so far away from me! You-you treat me like an animal you are trying to train! I hate it! Sometimes at night I get scared and I want to come to you and climb into bed but you always look so mad whenever I wake you up at night and you scold. I hate it. It makes me feel like there is something wrong with me. There is not. I am just scared and alone and confused. I-I would not be telling you how I feel either because normally you would get mad. I hate it when you get mad. I-I learned a lot from Mai'Zak and he is not scared of saying what he thinks." Kalin started crying again.

Drizzt was unable to think of any way to respond. Nothing he could say was convincing Kalin he was truly sorry. So he was silent, holding his son against his chest. Kalin's grief and pain seeped into him. Drizzt's guilt and sorrow welled up inside him, erupting out of his eyes in a flood of tears that refused to be controlled. Kalin tried to comfort him and Drizzt tried to comfort Kalin but all they could do was cry and hold each other. Seeing Drizzt's tears helped Kalin understand that his father could help him at times without scolding him for being weak and unable to deal with his emotions.

Presently Drizzt let go of Kalin and wiped his eyes. Kalin smiled shakily at him. "I- I believe you now, ilharn. I never saw you cry before. I-I think I understand now. And I forgive you for hurting me."

Drizzt could not believe a few tears had brought so much understanding and clarification. If he had known tears would help Kalin so much, he would have shared them long before now. No, he probably would not have actually. He was just beginning to see the truth in things. Drizzt stood up and took Kalin's hand.

"Where are we going?" Kalin asked.

"We are going back to camp," Drizzt answered. "All my brothers and my father are there. Mai'Zak is there to."

Kalin brightened. "I hope he is awake. Come on!"

"We are also going to find a very big tree for you to climb," Drizzt said, letting Kalin pull him along.

Kalin grinned. "I want to see Mai'Zak first, okay? But thank you, ilharn."

"No, thank you for being honest with me, Kalin. It helped me see myself better."

Kalin looked at his father. He shrugged. "You are welcome."

Drizzt and Kalin entered the campsite ten minutes later. Mai'Zak was sleeping on a bed of blankets and moss with Glimmer as his pillow. His eyes were closed. Zak and Nalfein were sitting by the fire. Tuatha was washing his bloody hands and Dinin was nowhere in sight. Kalin's grip on Drizzt's hand tightened, as he looked at all the unfamiliar people looking at him. Drizzt sat down next to Zak. Kalin climbed into his father's lap and rested his head on Drizzt's shoulder, feeling tired. He looked at Zak. "Who are you?"

"I am Zaknafein Do'Urden, Drizzt's father," Zak answered. "These are my sons, Nalfein and Tuatha. Dinin is hunting dinner but he should be back soon."

Drizzt shifted uncomfortably and Kalin squirmed, readjusting his position to match his father's new one. Kalin yawned. His eyes slowly closed. Safe in his father's arms, he slept. Drizzt immediately relaxed. Hugging Kalin at home or alone in the woods was one thing. But sitting right in the middle of his brothers, he was painfully aware of how much love and warmth he was displaying. His brothers probably did not approve. His brothers were drow. But he noticed none of his brothers were paying him any attention. Only Zak was looking at him.

"Did you learn anything today?" Zak asked pointedly.

Drizzt held Kalin a little closer to him. "Yes, I did. I learned of Kalin's feelings and I saw myself through his eyes. I did not like what I saw. I saw a selfish tyrant; an overprotective parent. I have a bad habit of seeing the worst in any situation, even if it is just making a fire alone."

Zak shrugged. "Who knows; Kalin could burn the woods down unsupervised with a fire."

Drizzt frowned. "That is not helping me, Zak."

Zak's face cracked into a smile. "I am just kidding."

Drizzt sighed. "I am working on being a better parent. I have seen a lot of the world. I can come up with more creative ways to punish Kalin without having to cause him physical pain. You were right, Zak, it does hurt to hurt Kalin. I simply did not see it until now. Thank you for helping me."

"Hey, what do you think fathers are for?" Zak demanded with smile.

Drizzt looked curiously at Mai'Zak. Zak followed his gaze and sighed. "Speaking of fathers, there is one son who needed you and never had you."

"Does he still want me?" Drizzt asked.

Zak looked at Drizzt squarely. "I am going to be honest with you, Drizzt. Mai'Zak hates you."

* * *

 **So how are you liking it so far? I appreciate it your feedback, opinions, and suggestions more then you can guess. Take a moment to let me know what you think. You have made it this far, right? You must be thinking something!  
**


	14. Mirrors

Drizzt was stunned. "Why? What have I done to make him hate me?"

"Because of you, he suffered, Drizzt. Mai'Zak suffered because he was your son; because he was your flesh and blood. The hate grew every time the drow tortured him, every time they touched him. Mai'Zak understood he was suffering because he was your son. The drow made sure he understood that. Eventually Mai'Zak realized that, had he been born someone else's son, he would not be living a life of pain. And as soon as he realized that, he began to blame you for everything; his blindness and his unfortunate life. After we escaped with him from House Do'Urden, we tried to explain to him that Penelope had tricked a seed out of you but . . . . . Mai'Zak did not believe us. He was convinced you had willingly given your seed to Penelope and condemned him to a horrible fate. At one point, Mai'Zak wanted to meet you and discuss the matter in depth so he could learn the truth. That is why Dinin was brining him to you. But I think somewhere along the way Mai'Zak lost his courage. He was probably afraid we were telling the truth and he would have to stop believing in everything he had believed in for so long. It can be hard to let go of too much hate," Zak ended sadly.

Drizzt could understand Mai'Zak's reason for hating him. Alone in darkness, he had needed a scapegoat for all his anger. And because the drow had filled him up with wicked stories of why he was being tortured, Mai'Zak had turned Drizzt into the scapegoat. But Drizzt also felt angry. It was not his fault Mai'Zak had suffered! It was not his fault a sexhunter had stolen his seed! If he had known about Mai'Zak, he would have rescued him from the drow and raised him! Being hated unjustly by his own son hurt, especially after his discussion with Kalin. When Mai'Zak woke up, he and Drizzt would have to have a long talk.

"Drizzt, I know you are angry with him, but it is going to be hard for Mai'Zak to face you after hating you for so long," Zak said. "Please take it easy on him. He is kind of sensitive."

Drizzt nodded. A sudden thought occurred to him. "If Mai'Zak hates me, why did he help my son?"

"Because he is blind and he knew that, without Glimmer, he would die," Zak replied. "And also because Kalin was alone and afraid. Mai'Zak could have refused to help Kalin but that would have been a cruel and wrong thing to do. Mai'Zak is not cruel. I have no doubt that if Mai'Zak found you dying, no matter how much he hated you, he would do his best to help you."

Drizzt was silent. He wanted to get up and stretch but Kalin prevented it; he did not want to wake Kalin up. He shifted restlessly, catching Zak's pitying look.

"Go put Kalin down next to Mai'Zak," Zak suggested.

Drizzt frowned. "I am not sure that is a good idea."

"I am certain it is a great idea," Zak said. "Mai'Zak is very fond of Kalin. I could hear it in his voice when he asked if Kalin was okay. They are _brothers_ , Drizzt."

Brothers, Drizzt thought. I am not such a good brother, am I? But Zak is right; Kalin and Mai'Zak are brothers. They went through a lot together. I should not try and split them up, even if Mai'Zak unjustly hates me. Drizzt stood up. He walked quietly over to Mai'Zak and laid Kalin down beside him. Kalin stirred, mumbling something. He nestled up against his brother. Glimmer seemed to smile approvingly at Drizzt. Drizzt stretched with a sigh. He walked back to Zak and sat down.

"I am glad you are a good father," Zak said.

"I could be a better one," Drizzt said unhappily. "What were your greatest fears as a father?"

"I was afraid that my sons would be born evil. And I was afraid that those of my children born like me would not have the wisdom to keep their purity hidden. I would have harshly blamed myself if any of my sons had been killed for their goodness because I was the one who gave them life and therefore condemned them to an uncertain life among evil."

Drizzt said, 'I wish I had known all those years ago growing up that—that Nalfein was alive and Dinin was like me. I would have felt less alone."

"The unfortunate thing is I was going to tell you everything the night you left Menzoberanzan," Zak replied. "You were an odd character; it took me some time to finally decide whether or not you could be trusted with my secret."

"And by the time you decided, it was too late," Drizzt lamented.  
"This is hard for me. I find it awkward to be around my brothers. They have all done so much together. They all trust each other with their lives! I find it hard to trust like that. I feel like an absolute stranger."

Zak squeezed his son's hand. "You need to loosen up. Your brothers are all good, kind people. They are not going to hurt you."

As Drizzt replied Dinin stepped out of the trees with several rabbits in hand. He set them up to roast over the fire and flopped down by Nalfein and Tuatha, entering easily into their conversation.

"I keep looking at my brothers and seeing drow," Drizzt said unhappily. "As in; cruel, malicious drow."

Zak laughed. "Would you feel better if they all looked like surface elves instead?"

Drizzt grimaced. "No. I feel wretched in the presence of surface elves."

"I think what you unconsciously feel is shame whenever you are in the presence of people whose race you have hurt," Zak said.

Drizzt had never thought about his feelings that way. But the more he considered it, the more it made sense. "I think you may be right," he said slowly. "I feel indescribably wicked when ever I meet an elf because of all the harm my kin have caused them. And among drow I feel uncomfortable because most of them hate me for betraying their race."

"Your brothers do not hate you, Drizzt. If you look at them and see drow, what do you see when you look at yourself?"

"I do not look in the mirror often, Zak. And when I do, I see Drizzt Do'Urden, a warrior and hero."

"I suggest you start viewing your brothers the same way. You have no problems with me," Zak said.

"But I know you, Zak!" Drizzt protested. "I see my brothers and I think of drow, all fighting for power and position. I-I am afraid they are going to kill me."

"So that is the real issue! Drizzt, ussta dalharuk, you need to trust your brothers. The elves were very kind to us when we came to the surface. They did not hate us for the crimes of our kin. The elves taught us to dance and we have been dancing ever since. Go ask your brothers to teach you; dancing brings everyone together."

Zak gave Drizzt a push and he stumbled forward into Dinin's face. Nalfein, Dinin, and Tuatha all stopped talking to look at him curiously. Drizzt felt extremely uncomfortable. Dancing was for girls, not seasoned warriors! But he had to say something!

"Drizzt was wondering if you would teach him to dance!" Zak called helpfully.

Nalfein, Dinin, and Tuatha all stared at Drizzt incredulously for a minute. Before Drizzt could fumble for an excuse, Dinin jumped to his feet and sang out, "Turn on your music box, Zak! Drizzt is going to dance with us!"

"I can hardly believe he even wants to learn!" Tuatha remarked, eying Drizzt. "Tell me, Drizzt, do you even know how to follow a tune?"

Drizzt remembered Nalfein and Dinin dancing after his and Nalfein's duel. The dance had been beautiful but he doubted he could do anything like it. "No," he admitted uncomfortably.

"Then it is high time you learned," Nalfein said, standing up. "Zak, play "Attention". Drizzt, I will guide your movements with my hands."

"You will not lay one hand on my body!" Drizzt spat, stiffening.

"Drizzt, I am not going to hurt you!" Nalfein exclaimed in surprise. "Honestly, just trust me for once!"

"No! You have tried to kill me to many times!"

Nalfein frowned. Why did Drizzt refuse to let go of that? Tuatha said quickly, "I will help Drizzt. Nalfein, you are with Dinin. Okay, brother, when I apply pressure with my hands, yield to it. Relax and go with the flow. Sit down and watch Nalfein and Dinin dancing before you try."

* * *

 **Who are you, my secret reader? You must be enjoying the story.  
**

 **For the rest of you who made it this far, I hope you like it. I always appreciate feedback and suggestions of any kind. Thank you.**


	15. Meeting Mai'Zak

Zak started the music box. The same song Nalfein and Dinin had danced to in the glade started again. Nalfein and Dinin touched wrists and began to dance again, splitting apart before coming back together again.

Drizzt thought dancing looked easy enough. He stood up as Nalfein and Dinin bowed and the song replayed. Nalfein and Dinin were twisting their bodies into impossible bends, jumping over each other. Tuatha put his hands on Drizzt's shoulders. Drizzt did not even flinch. He was used to Tuatha's hands on his body after all the massages. "Sway with the music," Tuatha said softly. "Let is penetrate your body and loosen your muscles. Come on. Bend. Loosen up."

Drizzt tried. But he was not feeling the music and he felt sluggish and awkward compared to Nalfein and Dinin's liquid movements that looked so smooth and easy and yet were so difficult to perform.

Tuatha sighed. "Fighting was developed from dancing, you know. You fight beautifully. So maybe this will help you; pretend you are practicing with your scimitars."

Drizzt closed his eyes and envisioned his blades in hand. He often spent long nights outside playing with his weapons. Now he had no problem moving. He envisioned fighting Artemis Enteri. His body began to move, unconsciously influenced by the flow of the music.

"I can hardly believe it!" Dinin cried. "Drizzt is dancing!"

"Actually, I am fighting Artemis Enteri," Drizzt corrected, his eyes still closed as he played out the battle.

Nalfein chuckled. Drizzt tripped over a stick, unable to see it with his eyes closed. Nalfein caught him, making the fall seem deliberate, and spun him around. Drizzt opened his eyes, staring directly into Nalfein's. Nalfein's face changed suddenly and he became Artemis Enteri, Drizzt's lifetime enemy, his arch nemesis, out to kill him once more! Drizzt, certain Nalfein was going to kill him, attacked Nalfein but Nalfein evaded him each time, taking Drizzt with him. Drizzt finally paused to catch his breath, his fear of Nalfein fading as Nalfein smirked at him, Artemis Enteri gone.

"Do you understand what dancing is now?" Nalfein asked, grabbing Drizzt's hands and waltzing with him.

"I think so. Dancing is when we fight without weapons and the urge to kill."

Nalfein clapped drily. Then he drew Drizzt out to arms length, holding onto his brother's hands. Dinin and Tuatha waltzed under the arch their arms made, and spun away. They made a bridge with their arms for Nalfein and Drizzt to dance under. Nalfein was singing the song but Drizzt was not. Dancing was as far as he would go for now. And hopefully Nalfein would not spoil the moment by turning back into Artemis Enteri. Artemis's face caused his mind to instantly go to alert mode and attack the assassin. It was unavoidable. He and Nalfein joined hands so Dinin and Tuatha could pass under them again.

The two pairs of brothers linked arms and skipped in a circle, exchanging partners. Drizzt found Dinin holding his hands.

"Come on; sing!" Dinin encouraged as Nalfein and Tuatha waltzed under their hands. His eyes teased Drizzt as he sang.

"Whoops!" said Nalfein, his ankles getting caught up in Dinin's. Both drow collapsed, laughing as they untangled themselves. Tuatha sighed. "I guess the dance party is over, huh?"

The music faded from the air and Zak pocketed the music box. Nalfein and Dinin were arguing as they stood up.

"You tripped me, Nalfein! Of all the nerve!" Dinin complained.

"I most certainly did not! It was an accident," Nalfein objected. "Sshhh! Kalin is still sleeping!"

"Lame excuse to get me to shut up!" Dinin hissed.

Tuatha shredded the roasted rabbit meat, dumped sauce all over it, and distributed the plates.

Kalin stirred and sat up, awakened by the delicious smell of meat. He crawled the Drizzt's feet and sat, happily chewing the forkfuls of food Drizzt fed him.

Dinin went and sat by Mai'Zak. Barely a second later, Mai'Zak's eyes opened. He yawned and shifted uncomfortably. He looked up at Dinin and asked, "May I have something to eat please, Dinin?"

"Here you go," Dinin answered. He waited for Mai'Zak to sit up before handing him a plate of food.

"Thank you." Mai'Zak leaned back against Glimmer. He ate daintily with his fingers. Drizzt watched him with fascination, wondering how Mai'Zak had known it was Dinin sitting next to him when he could not see.

"Ilharn. Ilharn!" Kalin jostled Drizzt's knee.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry." Drizzt gave Kalin another forkful of meat, his eyes still on Mai'Zak. It had been hard to believe Mai'Zak was his son. But there were certain lines in Mai'Zak's face and curves in his body that reminded Drizzt of himself. And there were parts of Cattie-Brie in Mai'Zak as well . . . . . Cattie-Brie; a drow, a traitor, a sexhunter, who had condemned a child to a life of torture without a second's thought! Cattie-Brie, who had seemed so kind and gentle and yet who had been cruel.

Mai'Zak finished his food and handed his plate back to Dinin. He rubbed Glimmer behind the ears and stared in the direction of the fire. After a minute he turned his head and looked directly into Drizzt's purple eyes. Mai'Zak sensed an intent gaze coming from that direction. Who was looking at him like that? It was not Zak, Dinin, Tuatha, or Kalin; he did not recognize the breathing pattern.

"Who are you?" Mai'Zak asked.

Drizzt caught his breath. Mai'Zak was looking right into his eyes. Mai'Zak could tell he was someone new and unfamiliar. But how? He was blind!

"I am Drizzt Do'Urden," Drizzt answered. Mai'Zak's eyes were colorless and yet full of color. It was disorienting and slightly disturbing.

Mai'Zak stiffened. Then he relaxed and said calmly, "It is an honor to meet you." After delivering this statement, he looked away from Drizzt.

Zak and his sons exchanged worried glances. Mai'Zak seemed to be taking the meeting fairly well. It was impossible to tell what Mai'Zak was feeling and thinking at times though. He could be in turmoil within and never show it. He was an expert at controlling himself and his emotions. He was also an expert at controlling pain after many years of being tortured.

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	16. Reactions

Mai'Zak could not believe it. His body spoke nothing of his disbelief but it existed in his mind, sharp and clear. Drizzt, his father, was here? Kalin must be happy. All the anger and hate he felt bubbled up inside him, strong and vicious. Drizzt Do'Urden may be a hero, protecting those in need, but he had never protected him; his own son! It was so unfair and so unjust! Mai'Zak wanted to get up and put as much distance as he could between him and Drizzt but it was impossible to do so; his leg was injured. The old feelings of helplessness that he had experienced on the drow torture tables clenched up his insides.

"When will I be able to walk?" Mai'Zak asked, steadying the anger in hi voice with determination.

"Three or four days from now," Tuatha answered.

"Where are we going?"

"Luskan. We have to stop the baroness and her zombies."

"Is-is Drizzt coming with us?" Mai'Zak cursed himself for the tremble in his voice; it said a lot to everyone about his feelings.

There was a short silence; Zak must be exchanging glances with Nalfein and Tuatha. Drizzt was probably looking furious.

"No, not if he does not want to," Zak finally said.

Mai'Zak sighed. Drizzt would want to come; he was the kind of person who would come to face a horde of zombies. It was going to be a long time before he could get away from Drizzt. A spark of jealously flared up inside him, as he thought of Kalin, happy with a father who loved him unconditionally. It was so unfair. Just because he was blind, Drizzt had no right to judge him. It was not his fault he was blind! It was Drizzt's fault his sight was gone because Drizzt was his father and the drow hated him. Mai'Zak rested his head on Glimmer's smooth flank and went back to sleep. He did not want to think angry, confusing thoughts about Drizzt. Hating the person who had fathered him, hating anyone, felt wrong but, for all his self-control, he could not stop himself. He blamed Drizzt for everything the drow had done to him.

But Mai'Zak's dreams were tainted by evil, full of black hate and red pain. He woke up knowing he had to understand why Drizzt had never protected him and accept it. He knew he had to come to terms with the hate within himself and forgive. Mai'Zak lay awake in darkness, thinking. He did not know what time it was but it must be night because he could not hear the soothing sounds of his family talking. Everyone was sleeping; he could hear their deep, even breathing. He sorted out the different breathing patterns, associating each one with a name. Kalin was sleeping with Drizzt. Drizzt's breathing pattern was unfamiliar. Mai'Zak concentrated on the sound, letting it soak into his memory. He drifted off to sleep again and when he awoke he could feel the sun shining hot on his face.

Mai'Zak yawned and sat up. "What time is it?"

"Noon," Dinin answered. "You have been asleep for the last three days."

"What!" Mai'Zak cried. "But I barely fell asleep a few hours ago! I was listening to Drizzt breathing—" He stopped and flushed. He could feel Drizzt looking at him.

"You were exhausted, sweetheart. Do you want some lunch?"

"Yes, please." Mai'Zak tossed off his blankets and stretched his muscles, feeling them ripple with strength within him. "My arm feels much better."

"You can get up now," Tuatha said. "The bites were not as bad as I initially feared and you healed remarkably fast, as usual."

Mai'Zak stared off into space, remembering the blood that had flowed from his body after torture sessions long ago. His body had begun to heal faster then natural, becoming used to the constant administration of wounds. His eyes snapped to Drizzt's face. "We need to talk, Drizzt. Do you know who I am?"

"Yes," Drizzt replied. "And you have no just reason to hate me. Had I known of your existence sooner, I promise you I would have rescued you from the drow. As it is, I had no knowledge of this truth until recently."

Mai'Zak stiffened. Zak, Nalfein, Dinin, and Tuatha saw the muscular clench and tensed, wondering how Mai'Zak would reply. Was he going to explode in outrage? He was looking fairly annoyed by Drizzt's sudden statements.

* * *

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	17. Emotional Choices

"I heard what you said about wanting to kill me because you were mad at ilharn," Kalin said, staring at the ground as he walked.

Mai'Zak's shoulders slumped. "Forgive me, Kalin. I know I—"

Kalin hugged his brother. "I forgave you already. You are my brother and I love you. I-I feel nasty inside sometimes to when I think how my mother abandoned me as a baby."

Mai'Zak stood stunned. Kalin understood everything! A few tears slipped down his cheeks. He held onto Kalin as the tears came in a rush and Kalin held onto him. Both of them were crying, realizing that they had found a person who understood how they felt. And they were brothers to. The hurt in their hearts healed in one beautiful act of love.

Kalin wiped the tears from him face. Mai'Zak said, "I love you, Kalin, and I would never hurt you. Not ever. Do you believe me?"

"Yes! Yes, I do! And I hope ilharn lets you live with us."

Mai'Zak stroked the top of Kalin's head and held his brother in a warm embrace. Kalin was so young and innocent and hopeful. He hated to have to shatter his dreams. "Kalin, Drizzt does not know me. It may take some time for us to get to know each other. Drizzt may be my father but we are still strangers."

Kalin nodded. "I know. But what if—ilharn is very cold sometimes. He treats me like the piece of abandoned rubbish he found on his doorstep. What if he never loves you?"

Mai'Zak patted Kalin on the cheek. "We both have lives to live and neither of us are garbage, are we? Glimmer, find us a creek!"

Glimmer barked and ran ahead. Mai'Zak ran with her, holding onto Kalin's hand. They burst out of the trees into a grassy grove and ran down the hill to where a stream flowed into a deep pool.

Kalin shed his clothes and plunged into the water. Mai'Zak slid off his robe and waded out into the water. It lapped against his bare skin, making him feel deliciously cool all over. He and Kalin washed off before they started horsing around. Kalin splashed a big wave of water over Mai'Zak and grinned, convinced Mai'Zak would never catch him since he was blind. But Mai'Zak dove suddenly, grabbing his ankles and dragging them both under.

"But you cannot see!" Kalin protested, laughing as he came up for air.

"I feel the water currents," Mai'Zak explained. "All I have to do is follow the currents and I find you."

"Rats," Kalin grumbled. He and Mai'Zak swam to the bank and climbed out onto the grass. They lay down to let the sun dry them off.

"Where did you get these scars?" Kalin asked, trailing a hand over the scars on Mai'Zak's leg.

"The drow gave them to me," Mai'Zak answered, restraining a shudder. Kalin would not hurt him.

"Did it . . . hurt?"

"Yes, but the pain is gone now."

"The drow gave you a lot of scars," Kalin said, looking at Mai'Zak's body. "Why?"

"It is difficult to explain. Maybe I will tell you some other time."

Glimmer climbed out of the water and shook herself out. She lay down next to Mai'Zak, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Her ears pricked up and she sniffed the air. She barked four times.

Mai'Zak sat up and looked over his shoulder. "Drizzt? I know you are there. You might as well stop flattering yourself and come out now. How long have you been spying on us?"

"Dinin said to bring you clean clothes," Drizzt said, coming out of the trees. "When I arrived you were—er—talking so I waited to announce myself."

"Please respect me, Drizzt," Mai'Zak said. "I cannot see and I would like it if you could just say something instead of taking advantage of my blindness to eavesdrop on my conversations."

Drizzt flushed. Mai'Zak had no problems saying what he thought politely but frankly. "I will keep that in mind. It was not my intention to eavesdrop."

"Oh, I dare say!" Mai'Zak snatched his clothes from Drizzt and started dressing. "That is wretched, Drizzt." He jabbed Drizzt in the chest with his finger as he spoke. "Wretched!" With that, he gave Drizzt a little unexpected shove and Drizzt tumbled into the pool with a yell. Mai'Zak doubled over with laughter.

Kalin looked frightened as Drizzt climbed out of the pool dripping. He knew he would have gotten proper punishment for shoving his father into the pool. Drizzt would say it was rude. But Drizzt could not punish Mai'Zak, could he?

"How are you feeling now, Drizzt?" Mai'Zak teased, stepping away from Drizzt as he heard the footsteps approaching. "Feeling more down at our level, hmm?"

Drizzt frowned. Disrespectful little brat! He stripped off his soaking clothes and sat down on the grass to dry off. There was nothing he could do about Mai'Zak anyway. Not with Glimmer sitting right there and looking like she would tear him apart the minute he raised his voice. Kalin nuzzled into his arms and pressed his wet head against his father's chest. Drizzt smiled, running a hand over Kalin's smooth, dark skin. Kalin shuddered and Drizzt withdrew his hand with a start. "Is something wrong, Kalin?"

"N-no, ilharn." Kalin's voice was muffled and it clearly revealed the lie.

Mai'Zak sat down at Drizzt's side. Drizzt shifted uncomfortably but he was more interested in finding out why Kalin feared his touch then he was in moving away from Mai'Zak.

"Kalin, I promised I would never hurt you. What is the matter?" Drizzt raised his son's face and looked into Kalin's eyes. "Are you hurt?"

Kalin shook his head, quickly looking away. As Drizzt shifted him in his lap, Kalin jumped back with a cry. Drizzt felt worry bubble up within him. He grabbed Kalin's wrist and made his son sit back down. "Kalin, what is the matter? Answer me!"

"You dream at night sometimes, ilharn," Kalin whispered. "Sometimes you dream of people you hate and you hurt me. Other times you dream of woman and you hold me in ways I do not like."

The blood drained from Drizzt's face. "That cannot be, Kalin. I would never—"

"You never remember when you wake up," Kalin mumbled.

Drizzt was not seeing the world. He was seeing spots and feeling sick. His hold was weak on Kalin. "I-I am sorry. I had no idea. Why—why did you not tell me?"

"It is not your fault you have bad dreams," Kalin said. "I would have felt bad about complaining. And I was afraid you would think I was lying and punish me."

Drizzt's mouth refused the say a word. What had he done? What had he been doing? If he did not even remember when he woke up, how could he stop? Mai'Zak's warm hand landed on his shoulder, bringing Drizzt back to reality. He hugged Kalin close. "Kalin, I do not think you should sleep with me. If I am hurting you in my sleep . . ."

Tears welled up in Kalin's eyes. "But I like sleeping with you. You do not have bad dreams often. Please, ilharn?"

Drizzt looked away. "No, Kalin. Not until I can learn to control myself in my sleep. I do not want to hurt you."

"I can help you do that," Mai'Zak said coldly.

"How?" Drizzt asked.

"I will sleep with you. And if you start touching me personally or doing anything funny, I will let you know very clearly."

Drizzt did not like Mai'Zak's vicious tone. But if that was the only way he could start controlling himself, he would have to take it. "Very well. Kalin, you will have to sleep by yourself."

Kalin struggled to hold back his tears. The thought of sleeping all alone in the middle of the wilderness terrified him. He was used to the security of Drizzt's arms around him at night. No one knew it, but he dreaded being alone in the dark. "O-okay."

Drizzt smiled and ran a hand over Kalin's dry head. "That is my brave boy." Kalin looked so miserable Drizzt pulled him into a tight hug.

"You could sleep with one of my uncles," Mai'Zak suggested, touching Kalin's arm.

Kalin swallowed. "N-no thanks."

Mai'Zak handed Kalin his clothes. Kalin stood up and started dressing. Drizzt tugged on his dry clothes. He took Kalin's hand and started walking back to the camp. Mai'Zak followed, holding onto Glimmer's leash. He walked with surprising steadiness for one blind.

"Settle all your differences?" Dinin asked when Drizzt walked into camp.

Drizzt did not want to discuss deeply personal topics with his brothers so he said, "Yes." He sat down next to Zak and pulled Kalin into his lap.

"We are leaving tomorrow for Luskan," Tuatha announced. "Are you coming with us, Drizzt?"

"Are you going with them, Mai'Zak?" Drizzt asked.

"Yes."

"Are you sure you should? I mean, you are blind . . ."

"Just because I am blind does not mean I am helpless," Mai'Zak said quietly. "I have Glimmer to protect me."

Drizzt's expression was incredulous. He could not believe that his brothers would let a blind child go with them into danger; it was idiocy!

"I cannot take Kalin into danger," Drizzt said finally. "It would be difficult to protect him if I were fighting zombies."

"You will not have to protect Kalin," Nalfein said. "Leave Guenhwyvar to protect him. She seems deadly enough."

"I will need Guenhwyvar to back me," Drizzt explained.

Dinin rolled his eyes. "No, you will not. We will be there to back you. That is what brothers are for."

Drizzt realized that was true. "How do you feel about it, Kalin? Do you want to go?"

"I want to go," Kalin said. "I do not mind staying with Guen. If Mai'Zak is going, I want to go to, okay?"

"It looks like we are coming with you," Drizzt said. "What is the plan?"

"Nalfein is going ahead to assassinate the baroness," Zak replied. "In the event that he fails, it will be a full on attack. There will be thousands of zombies and just the six of us. Still want to come?"

"That is suicide!" Drizzt objected. "We should ask for help."

"There is no time. If we delay any longer, the zombies will swell to numbers off the scale. We have to go now."

"Which is why I am leaving for Luskan to assassinate the baroness right now," Nalfein said, standing up and squaring his shoulders. "You will all follow me for Luskan tomorrow."

Tuatha rose and unclasped his dark cloak. "Take this. You will need it more then I do." He looked Nalfein in the eyes.

"Thanks, Tuatha." Nalfein swung the cloak around his shoulders, letting his own cloak fall to the ground. "I will give it back to you when I come back from Luskan. Being invisible ought to improve my chances of killing the baroness. See you."

Nalfein mounted his horse and galloped off into the woods, leaving silence behind him. The fire crackled and the wind blew. Glimmer whimpered and rested her head on Mai'Zak's knee.

"Will he succeed?" Drizzt asked, not at all encouraged by the atmosphere.

"He should," Zak replied. "Nalfein is an excellent assassin. He will have all our prayers behind him."

"Where did you get the cloak of invisibility from, Tuatha?" Drizzt asked curiously.

"I took it from the Headmaster of the Academy I attended after I killed him," Tuatha replied, pinning on Nalfein's cloak. "It is dreadfully easy to shove a knife into someone's back in bed, you know. To easy. For a Headmaster who has survived so long, he offered no challenge. It was a terrible disappointment. I suppose he did not expect me to fight back."

"Have you ever done bad things?" Kalin asked.

"Never," Tuatha said. "I swore many years ago only to use my powers for good. And I have yet to break my oath."

Mai'Zak stroked Glimmer's head, staring in the direction of the fire. He moved closer to Drizzt and leaned against him. "Do you mind?" he asked.

"No," Drizzt answered. "Do you mind if I put my arm around you?"

Mai'Zak hesitated a moment. Then he said, "I . . . think I would like that."

Zak, Dinin, and Tuatha looked at each other and smiled. Unspoken thoughts passed between them as they looked at Drizzt holding his two sons.

"Pity we have no professional painter, eh?" Zak said. "I would have liked to get a painting of that done."

"Would have cost a fortune," Dinin grunted. "And I do not suppose we could get Drizzt to repeat the pose in an artist's studio to the same effect. Oh well; at least we have the roses in December." He stoked up the fire.


	18. Roses in December

"I heard what you said about wanting to kill me because you were mad at ilharn," Kalin said, staring at the ground as he walked.

Mai'Zak's shoulders slumped. "Forgive me, Kalin. I know I—"

Kalin hugged his brother. "I forgave you already. You are my brother and I love you. I-I feel nasty inside sometimes to when I think how my mother abandoned me as a baby."

Mai'Zak stood stunned. Kalin understood everything! A few tears slipped down his cheeks. He held onto Kalin as the tears came in a rush and Kalin held onto him. Both of them were crying, realizing that they had found a person who understood how they felt. And they were brothers to. The hurt in their hearts healed in one beautiful act of love.

Kalin wiped the tears from him face. Mai'Zak said, "I love you, Kalin, and I would never hurt you. Not ever. Do you believe me?"

"Yes! Yes, I do! And I hope ilharn lets you live with us."

Mai'Zak stroked the top of Kalin's head and held his brother in a warm embrace. Kalin was so young and innocent and hopeful. He hated to have to shatter his dreams. "Kalin, Drizzt does not know me. It may take some time for us to get to know each other. Drizzt may be my father but we are still strangers."

Kalin nodded. "I know. But what if—ilharn is very cold sometimes. He treats me like the piece of abandoned rubbish he found on his doorstep. What if he never loves you?"

Mai'Zak patted Kalin on the cheek. "We both have lives to live and neither of us are garbage, are we? Glimmer, find us a creek!"

Glimmer barked and ran ahead. Mai'Zak ran with her, holding onto Kalin's hand. They burst out of the trees into a grassy grove and ran down the hill to where a stream flowed into a deep pool.

Kalin shed his clothes and plunged into the water. Mai'Zak slid off his robe and waded out into the water. It lapped against his bare skin, making him feel deliciously cool all over. He and Kalin washed off before they started horsing around. Kalin splashed a big wave of water over Mai'Zak and grinned, convinced Mai'Zak would never catch him since he was blind. But Mai'Zak dove suddenly, grabbing his ankles and dragging them both under.

"But you cannot see!" Kalin protested, laughing as he came up for air.

"I feel the water currents," Mai'Zak explained. "All I have to do is follow the currents and I find you."

"Rats," Kalin grumbled. He and Mai'Zak swam to the bank and climbed out onto the grass. They lay down to let the sun dry them off.

"Where did you get these scars?" Kalin asked, trailing a hand over the scars on Mai'Zak's leg.

"The drow gave them to me," Mai'Zak answered, restraining a shudder. Kalin would not hurt him.

"Did it . . . hurt?"

"Yes, but the pain is gone now."

"The drow gave you a lot of scars," Kalin said, looking at Mai'Zak's body. "Why?"

"It is difficult to explain. Maybe I will tell you some other time."

Glimmer climbed out of the water and shook herself out. She lay down next to Mai'Zak, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Her ears pricked up and she sniffed the air. She barked four times.

Mai'Zak sat up and looked over his shoulder. "Drizzt? I know you are there. You might as well stop flattering yourself and come out now. How long have you been spying on us?"

"Dinin said to bring you clean clothes," Drizzt said, coming out of the trees. "When I arrived you were—er—talking so I waited to announce myself."

"Please respect me, Drizzt," Mai'Zak said. "I cannot see and I would like it if you could just say something instead of taking advantage of my blindness to eavesdrop on my conversations."

Drizzt flushed. Mai'Zak had no problems saying what he thought politely but frankly. "I will keep that in mind. It was not my intention to eavesdrop."

"Oh, I dare say!" Mai'Zak snatched his clothes from Drizzt and started dressing. "That is wretched, Drizzt." He jabbed Drizzt in the chest with his finger as he spoke. "Wretched!" With that, he gave Drizzt a little unexpected shove and Drizzt tumbled into the pool with a yell. Mai'Zak doubled over with laughter.

Kalin looked frightened as Drizzt climbed out of the pool dripping. He knew he would have gotten proper punishment for shoving his father into the pool. Drizzt would say it was rude. But Drizzt could not punish Mai'Zak, could he?

"How are you feeling now, Drizzt?" Mai'Zak teased, stepping away from Drizzt as he heard the footsteps approaching. "Feeling more down at our level, hmm?"

Drizzt frowned. Disrespectful little brat! He stripped off his soaking clothes and sat down on the grass to dry off. There was nothing he could do about Mai'Zak anyway. Not with Glimmer sitting right there and looking like she would tear him apart the minute he raised his voice. Kalin nuzzled into his arms and pressed his wet head against his father's chest. Drizzt smiled, running a hand over Kalin's smooth, dark skin. Kalin shuddered and Drizzt withdrew his hand with a start. "Is something wrong, Kalin?"

"N-no, ilharn." Kalin's voice was muffled and it clearly revealed the lie.

Mai'Zak sat down at Drizzt's side. Drizzt shifted uncomfortably but he was more interested in finding out why Kalin feared his touch then he was in moving away from Mai'Zak.

"Kalin, I promised I would never hurt you. What is the matter?" Drizzt raised his son's face and looked into Kalin's eyes. "Are you hurt?"

Kalin shook his head, quickly looking away. As Drizzt shifted him in his lap, Kalin jumped back with a cry. Drizzt felt worry bubble up within him. He grabbed Kalin's wrist and made his son sit back down. "Kalin, what is the matter? Answer me!"

"You dream at night sometimes, ilharn," Kalin whispered. "Sometimes you dream of people you hate and you hurt me. Other times you dream of woman and you hold me in ways I do not like."

The blood drained from Drizzt's face. "That cannot be, Kalin. I would never—"

"You never remember when you wake up," Kalin mumbled.

Drizzt was not seeing the world. He was seeing spots and feeling sick. His hold was weak on Kalin. "I-I am sorry. I had no idea. Why—why did you not tell me?"

"It is not your fault you have bad dreams," Kalin said. "I would have felt bad about complaining. And I was afraid you would think I was lying and punish me."

Drizzt's mouth refused the say a word. What had he done? What had he been doing? If he did not even remember when he woke up, how could he stop? Mai'Zak's warm hand landed on his shoulder, bringing Drizzt back to reality. He hugged Kalin close. "Kalin, I do not think you should sleep with me. If I am hurting you in my sleep . . ."

Tears welled up in Kalin's eyes. "But I like sleeping with you. You do not have bad dreams often. Please, ilharn?"

Drizzt looked away. "No, Kalin. Not until I can learn to control myself in my sleep. I do not want to hurt you."

"I can help you do that," Mai'Zak said coldly.

"How?" Drizzt asked.

"I will sleep with you. And if you start touching me personally or doing anything funny, I will let you know very clearly."

Drizzt did not like Mai'Zak's vicious tone. But if that was the only way he could start controlling himself, he would have to take it. "Very well. Kalin, you will have to sleep by yourself."

Kalin struggled to hold back his tears. The thought of sleeping all alone in the middle of the wilderness terrified him. He was used to the security of Drizzt's arms around him at night. No one knew it, but he dreaded being alone in the dark. "O-okay."

Drizzt smiled and ran a hand over Kalin's dry head. "That is my brave boy." Kalin looked so miserable Drizzt pulled him into a tight hug.

"You could sleep with one of my uncles," Mai'Zak suggested, touching Kalin's arm.

Kalin swallowed. "N-no thanks."

Mai'Zak handed Kalin his clothes. Kalin stood up and started dressing. Drizzt tugged on his dry clothes. He took Kalin's hand and started walking back to the camp. Mai'Zak followed, holding onto Glimmer's leash. He walked with surprising steadiness for one blind.

"Settle all your differences?" Dinin asked when Drizzt walked into camp.

Drizzt did not want to discuss deeply personal topics with his brothers so he said, "Yes." He sat down next to Zak and pulled Kalin into his lap.

"We are leaving tomorrow for Luskan," Tuatha announced. "Are you coming with us, Drizzt?"

"Are you going with them, Mai'Zak?" Drizzt asked.

"Yes."

"Are you sure you should? I mean, you are blind . . ."

"Just because I am blind does not mean I am helpless," Mai'Zak said quietly. "I have Glimmer to protect me."

Drizzt's expression was incredulous. He could not believe that his brothers would let a blind child go with them into danger; it was idiocy!

"I cannot take Kalin into danger," Drizzt said finally. "It would be difficult to protect him if I were fighting zombies."

"You will not have to protect Kalin," Nalfein said. "Leave Guenhwyvar to protect him. She seems deadly enough."

"I will need Guenhwyvar to back me," Drizzt explained.

Dinin rolled his eyes. "No, you will not. We will be there to back you. That is what brothers are for."

Drizzt realized that was true. "How do you feel about it, Kalin? Do you want to go?"

"I want to go," Kalin said. "I do not mind staying with Guen. If Mai'Zak is going, I want to go to, okay?"

"It looks like we are coming with you," Drizzt said. "What is the plan?"

"Nalfein is going ahead to assassinate the baroness," Zak replied. "In the event that he fails, it will be a full on attack. There will be thousands of zombies and just the six of us. Still want to come?"

"That is suicide!" Drizzt objected. "We should ask for help."

"There is no time. If we delay any longer, the zombies will swell to numbers off the scale. We have to go now."

"Which is why I am leaving for Luskan to assassinate the baroness right now," Nalfein said, standing up and squaring his shoulders. "You will all follow me for Luskan tomorrow."

Tuatha rose and unclasped his dark cloak. "Take this. You will need it more then I do." He looked Nalfein in the eyes.

"Thanks, Tuatha." Nalfein swung the cloak around his shoulders, letting his own cloak fall to the ground. "I will give it back to you when I come back from Luskan. Being invisible ought to improve my chances of killing the baroness. See you."

Nalfein mounted his horse and galloped off into the woods, leaving silence behind him. The fire crackled and the wind blew. Glimmer whimpered and rested her head on Mai'Zak's knee.

"Will he succeed?" Drizzt asked, not at all encouraged by the atmosphere.

"He should," Zak replied. "Nalfein is an excellent assassin. He will have all our prayers behind him."

"Where did you get the cloak of invisibility from, Tuatha?" Drizzt asked curiously.

"I took it from the Headmaster of the Academy I attended after I killed him," Tuatha replied, pinning on Nalfein's cloak. "It is dreadfully easy to shove a knife into someone's back in bed, you know. To easy. For a Headmaster who has survived so long, he offered no challenge. It was a terrible disappointment. I suppose he did not expect me to fight back."

"Have you ever done bad things?" Kalin asked.

"Never," Tuatha said. "I swore many years ago only to use my powers for good. And I have yet to break my oath."

Mai'Zak stroked Glimmer's head, staring in the direction of the fire. He moved closer to Drizzt and leaned against him. "Do you mind?" he asked.

"No," Drizzt answered. "Do you mind if I put my arm around you?"

Mai'Zak hesitated a moment. Then he said, "I . . . think I would like that."

Zak, Dinin, and Tuatha looked at each other and smiled. Unspoken thoughts passed between them as they looked at Drizzt holding his two sons.

"Pity we have no professional painter, eh?" Zak said. "I would have liked to get a painting of that done."

"Would have cost a fortune," Dinin grunted. "And I do not suppose we could get Drizzt to repeat the pose in an artist's studio to the same effect. Oh well; at least we have the roses in December." He stoked up the fire.


	19. Riding Glimmer

Drizzt woke up the next morning to discover Glimmer had grown to twice her original size. He jumped back in alarm when he saw the wolf. "Land sakes! How did you get so big?"

Glimmer growled.

"She grows in unexpected spurts," Tuatha said, saddling the horses while breakfast cooked. "The growth spurts are unpredictable but not fanciful. Guidewolves grow when they need to be bigger."

"You must have woken up early," Drizzt said with a frown, eying the horses.

"I did. We have to leave for Luskan as soon as possible. Wake everyone up, Glimmer."

Glimmer sat up and howled. Zak and Dinin threw off their blankets and shot to their feet, unsheathing their weapons. They scowled when they saw Tuatha laughing. Kalin jumped awake, looking frightened. Mai'Zak yawned from beside Drizzt. "Morning already?" He sat up and stretched.

"What is for breakfast?" Dinin demanded grumpily.

"Did Glimmer wake you up?" Mai'Zak asked kindly.

"Yes, with her wretched howling! How did you manage to stay asleep?"

Mai'Zak yawned again. "I know her playful howl from her danger howl. I would have thought you knew the difference by now. Hello, Glimmer, you grew!" Mai'Zak felt his guidewolf's body in admiration.

Glimmer looked pleased. She licked Mai'Zak's face.

"Can I ride you yet?" Mai'Zak asked hopefully.

Glimmer barked. She was about the size of a smallish horse. Mai'Zak could easily ride her.

"Can w eat breakfast quickly so I can ride Glimmer?" Mai'Zak asked eagerly.

Zak sighed. "I do not see that anything is going to stop you from hurrying."

Mai'Zak wolfed down his breakfast and ran a hasty comb through his hair. Drizzt watched in amusement; he had never seen Mai'Zak in a hurry before. Mai'Zak turned to look at him. "The good news is, Drizzt, that you did not act funnily in your sleep at all. I was disappointed. I was looking forward to giving you a good punch in the face. I guess I will have to wait a while longer, huh?"

Drizzt frowned. Dinin chuckled. Glimmer crouched down so Mai'Zak could climb onto her back. Instead of a leash, a shimmering harness appeared. Mai'Zak took the reins. He lurched as Glimmer rose to her feet but did not fall off.

"Be careful!" Dinin yelled as Glimmer trotted into the woods with an uneasy Mai'Zak seated on her back. "That kid is going to kill himself one of these days!"

"I wish I had a pet like Glimmer," Kalin said wistfully.

"Glimmer is not a pet; she is a friend and a family member," Dinin corrected as they finished breakfast.

"How much does a guidewolf cost?" Drizzt asked, with vague ideas of giving Kalin a special gift.

Zak choked on his last bite of food. "Drizzt, you cannot buy a guidewolf! They are priceless! A special bond has to form between guidewolf and child, a bond that no money could buy. What a terrible idea! Have you such a disregard for life that you would forsake all life? guidewolves die if mistreated. Glimmer and Mai'Zak chose each other in the elven wood. There was chance none of the young guidewolves would choose Mai'Zak, in which case Mai'Zak would have had to wait for the next litter of puppies. Once the bond is there, it is there for life!"

Drizzt spread out his hands. "I understand. You can stop attacking me now, Zak. Come, Kalin; you are riding with me."

Tuatha speedily packed up camp and mounted his horse. Zak handed Kalin up to Drizzt before he mounted his own horse. Dinin sprang lightly into his saddle and snapped the reins. He galloped ahead through the trees and disappeared from view. Glimmer came out of the woods. Mai'Zak was seated on her back, looking relaxed and confident.

"How are you getting along?" Tuatha asked.

"Fine. This is much better then riding a horse. I had to guide the horse. Glimmer can take me wherever I need to go on her own. All I have to do is hold on."

"I guess we now know why Glimmer grew then," Tuatha said with a smile.

"How long until we get to Luskan?" Mai'Zak asked.

"Only three or four days at a steady gallop. Once we get to the road, we can travel faster," Tuatha replied. "And hopefully Nalfein will succeed at his mission and the baroness will be dead."

"There can be no room for doubt," Zak said firmly. "Nalfein has to succeed."

Once the horses reached the road, they stretched out to a full gallop. Cloaks and hair streamed out in the wind. Glimmer easily matched the pace of the horses at a graceful run. She could have gone faster but Mai'Zak held her back. He did not want to be without the company of his companions.

"Do you feel safe without a proper saddle, Mai'Zak?" Kalin yelled over the wind.

"Yes," Mai'Zak yelled back. "I am always safe with Glimmer."

Kalin sighed and slumped against his father. The landscape was uninteresting. The people in the road moved to let them past with curious stares but nothing more. There was nothing to do but sit and ride.

That night the party camped by the roadside. Glimmer disappeared to the astral plane to rest and Mai'Zak pocketed her figurine. He slept with Drizzt again, warm and happy in his father's close presence. The next two days of travel were very much the same. On the fourth day, a rider came into view, slumped on his horse. Tuatha recognized the horse and exclaimed in worry, "Nalfein!"


	20. There Are Stars In My Sky

Tuatha galloped forward and jumped off his horse, reaching out to catch Nalfein just as he crumpled to the ground.

"He is hurt," Tuatha said grimly as his family rode up. "Quick, I need a fire, hot water, heated knives, and bandages. The injuries are minor but even the smallest, zombie-inflicted wounds could lead to infection. Hurry!"

Mai'Zak took the horses; Zak lit a fire and heated water, and Drizzt laid the surgical knives in the flames to rest. In a few minutes, Tuatha was tending to Nalfein's injuries. Half an hour later Nalfein was resting and Tuatha was washing blood off his hands.

"I think I got to him in time," Tuatha said. "He only had a few scrapes. He will be back on his feet by tomorrow. All he really needs is some rest."

"What will we do now?" Mai'Zak asked.

"Depending on what Nalfein has to say, who knows," Zak answered. "Nalfein does not fail often and, when he does, it is with good reason."

"He may not have failed," Drizzt said without conviction. "The baroness may be dead." But in his heart he knew the true answer.

Nalfein woke up the next morning. He sat up, forlorn and hopeless. "I failed," he said in a hollow voice.

"What happened?" Zak asked.

Nalfein pressed a hand to his forehead. "Oooh, it was terrible. I had no trouble getting into the baroness's manor and finding her in her temple. But she was so hideous and the sight of her so repulsive, I stood paralyzed in fear. And by the time I shook off the fear, zombies were pouring into the room. I knew there was no way I could defeat them all so I ran. I barely got out of Luskan in time to avoid slaughter. We are doomed. No one can get near the baroness without being paralyzed by the mere sight of her. The situation is hopeless. Hopeless!" Nalfein buried his face in his hands, still shaken by his recent experiences.

There was a long silence. Then Mai'Zak raised his bowed head. A curious light shone in his sightless eyes. "There is still hope! I can do it. I can kill the baroness. I cannot see. I will not be paralyzed by the sight of her. I can kill her!"

Nalfein shook his head. "No. It is suicide."

"You were willing to give your life to save Luskan!" Mai'Zak blazed. "And so am I!"

"You are blind. You would never get into Luskan and find the baroness."

Mai'Zak scowled. "Glimmer will guide me."

"No," Zak said gently. "You are a child of starless night whether you like it or not. And there are some things you can never hope to do. You have to accept it."

"Never!" Mai'Zak screamed. "I will not be crippled by your protests! I am not a child of starless night!"

"Mai'Zak, that is enough!" Zak snapped. "Control yourself!"

Tears streamed down Mai'Zak's cheeks. "No! I am going to say what I think and you _are bloody well going to listen to every damn word!_ There are stars in my night. There is a star in the darkness I dwell in for each of you! Just because I am blind does not mean I am unworthy of sacrificing myself for all I hold dear!"

"Mai'Zak," Dinin began.

"Shut up! I walked off the cliff of my own free will because I wanted to die. But I lived! And now I have a reason to live. I lived because I knew I had a destiny to fulfill. And mu destiny is to kill the baroness because _I am the only one who can do it_! I am proud to be blind if it means I can save my world from utter zombification!"

"Mai'Zak," Dinin said helplessly.

"I give you a chance at winning and you turn me down? Why? Because I am blind? That is not fair! If Nalfein can get into Luskan, I can to!"

"I have experience, Mai'Zak," Nalfein said. "You are inexperienced and you cannot see the way."

"Then help me! I know I can do this. All I ask for is your help! You have always helped me when I need it. I have never had to ask you for help. I am asking you now! _Please_ help me!"

There was utter silence. Mai'Zak's heart sank. They were not going to help him. He would have to do it on his own. He made a dash for Glimmer, crying, "Take me to Luskan!"

Drizzt grabbed Mai'Zak by the wrist before he could escape to his death. Mai'Zak twisted and bite him. "Let me go! It is my life! I can do whatever I want with it!"

Drizzt tightened his grip on Mai'Zak. His son struggled for a moment longer before collapsing to his knees and sobbing.

"Yes, it is your life," Zak said. "And only because we trust in you are we going to let you do this. You may go, Mai'Zak, and fulfill your destiny. But someone must go with you to navigate the streets. You are blind."

Mai'Zak looked up. "But who will it be? You all work together in union. If I take one of you away, your strengths will not be as great and the zombies could kill you."

"You should think about these things before flying off the handle," Dinin said curtly.

"I will go with you, Mai'Zak," Drizzt said. "I have no experience fighting with my brothers. I will get you into Luskan if Nalfein gives me directions."

Nalfein ran a hand through his hair. "Very well. You are our only hope, Mai'Zak. You only get one chance at killing the baroness. Here is a map. I have marked the best route in red. Travel as fast as you can. If we leave now, we can get to Luskan in four hours."

Mai'Zak crashed into Nalfein's arms. "Thank you. Thank you. I-it means a lot to me."

Nalfein smiled. "I know it does. Come, we must leave."

Four hours later Luskan came into view, staining the land with its darkness. Black fog hung over the city. Zombies were creeping out of the city and coming toward the drow with a slow, undead gait.

"Can you hold them off?" Drizzt asked Zak.

Zak nodded. "Yes. We can give you a few hours."

Drizzt slid off his horse and pressed Guenhwyvar's figurine into Kalin's trembling hand. Kalin's lips trembled. He reached down to hug his father. He held on tight, crying, "Promise you will come back to me, ilharn. Please come back."

"I will come back to you, Kalin. We will come back to you. I promise we will." Never before had he realized how much he loved his son. He held Kalin close to him, his tears dripping into Kalin's hair. Reluctantly, Drizzt set Kalin back on the horse and turned away.

"Zak, if I do not come back . . . look after Kalin."

"Whoever survives this battle will look after Kalin," Zak said. "Now come get your armor on."

Dinin upended a nondescript bag. Out of it tumbled five suits of full plate armor, magnificent with gleaming shields and elvish engravings. The drow began to put it on. It was light and flexible, molded to fit every curve of their bodies. Tuatha pinned his magical cloak on Mai'Zak. "I-I hope it helps you."

"Thanks," Mai'Zak said, leaning forward to embrace Tuatha.

Nalfein handed his mask of disguises to Drizzt. "You may end up needing this. You look good in that armor." He patted Drizzt's metal chest and smiled. Then he hugged him.

"I love you to." Drizzt returned the embrace.

"Go," Dinin urged. "We can only give you so long."

Mai'Zak mounted Glimmer. Drizzt mounted one of the unused horses. Drizzt took one last look at his family standing in a line, gleaming in their armor, defiant and bravely willing to protect all they held dear, before he kicked his horse into a gallop. Horse and guidewolf charged across the plains, cutting past the zombies from afar and heading for the far end of Luskan.


	21. Invading Luskan

Zak, Nalfein, Dinin, and Tuatha watched horse and wolf disappear. They turned to face the zombies with naked blades. Zak slapped Kalin's horse on the rear and the horse galloped away from the zombie with Kalin clinging to the reins.

The zombies reached the drow. Arms, legs teeth, claws, and crude weapons attacked.

Tuatha stabbed his staff into the chest of a zombie, shoving the second blade on the staff into the head of the zombie behind him. He spun the staff in his hands, slashing open a zombie skull, jerking the rear blade back and impaling another zombie. He pulled the staff free from both bodies, using it to speedily defend himself from harm. An approaching flock of zombie bats darkened the sky.

"Dinin, shield!" he yelled, charging toward his brother, mowing zombies down as he passed.

Dinin raised his shield above his head. Tuatha jumped onto it, bounding into the sky, right into the middle of the zombie bats. Corpses rained down as Tuatha slashed a hole in the flock before landing back on the ground. Nalfein finished off the bats, performing the same maneuver off Zak's shield. Satisfied, Tuatha fought his way forward. Everywhere he stabbed, there was a zombie and every blow he struck was a fatal one. Bodies heaped up around him and every step he took was onto a fallen corpse. His blades cleared the way for him to go where ever he wished but there was no where to go except deeper into the mass of zombies. It was as if every citizen in Luskan was now a zombie.

Zak, Nalfein, and Dinin stayed close together, watching each other's backs. Dead zombies piled up with amazing speed until they created a circular wall around the three drow. More zombies swarmed over the wall of dead, their bodies filling the crater within the wall as they were slain. Zak, Nalfein, and Dinin jumped off the pile, knowing it could collapse at any minute. The zombies were endless and the smells of rot overwhelming. Tuatha burst out of the undead. Together they created volcano after volcano of dead but it was simply not enough.

"We do not know that killing the baroness will end the zombies," Zak said. "I think we are all assuming the zombies will die with the baroness. We cannot depend on Mai'Zak and Drizzt to save us. What if they kill the baroness and the zombies continue to live?"

"We will fight until the end," Tuatha vowed. "Come, let us battle our way into the city! Our chances of defeating the zombies will be better in the city then out here in the open field. The houses will give us cover."

"Agreed. Come on!" Dinin charged ahead with his shield before he, battering through the zombies. With so many zombies pressing forward against him, the pressure on the shield was immense and Dinin's arm trembled. But he did not stop running until he reached the wall around Luskan. The gate was blocked off by thousands of zombies. The wall was high and there was no way he could jump over it. But he and his family had their own way of crossing high walls.

Dinin slung his shield over his back and knelt down on all fours. Nalfein jumped onto his back and bounded skyward, disappearing over the wall. Tuatha was next and Zak came last. The minute Zak's feet were off his back, Dinin jumped up and grabbed his father's outstretched hand. Zak threw his airborne body backward over the top of the wall, dragging Dinin with him due to gravity, and Dinin soared over his head, landing gracefully on the ground with Zak behind him.

The streets of Luskan were quiet. The dark elves crouched in the shadows of the wall, listening.

"Do you think the zombies will follow us back into the city?" Tuatha asked.

"They might," Zak answered. "But then they might now. Zombies have to be told what to do by their commander otherwise they mindlessly attack everything in sight and pay no attention to anything else."

"Let us give their commander a reason to order the zombies to come to us!" Nalfein said. "All these houses are empty. We will set fire to them. That ought to draw the zombies to us, along with their foul commander."

Nalfein set fire to one house with a lit torch. "If the zombies pay no heed to the fire, we will head straight for the baroness. Perhaps they are wired to protect her! Grab a torch, split up, and light as many houses as you can. Go!"

The zombies still occupying the city tore down the alley toward them, but the drow scattered and ran, lighting houses as they went. The small fires quickly roared up, engulfing houses. The fire went leaping from roof to roof. The black fog hanging over the city became mingled with smoke. Under the cloud, flickering flames spread throughout the houses, turning into a huge wall of fire that caught the Luskan wall and burned it to ashes section by section until it reached the sea on one end and the river on the other.

A black drake soared out of the sky. On its back sat a man in black plate mail, holding a spear. A spiked helm covered his face and a black cloak streamed out behind him. "Stop the drow!" he bellowed.

The zombies outside of Luskan heard their commander and stopped advancing mindlessly in no direction. They came streaming back to Luskan, leaping through the flames. Heavy smoke made it hard to see.

Zak, Nalfein, Dinin, and Tuatha crouched behind a projecting structure on the roof of one house, eying the drake. The drake certainly changed things. Its wings were ragged but it certainly had power. The drake sniffed, breathing smoke out of its nostrils. Its tail smashed down on houses as it flew past, searching for the dark elves. But the heavy smoke made it impossible to sort out one smell from another. Everything smelt like smoke!


	22. Battle For Luskan

**LadyofShadow: Thank you for your comments and thoughts. I do appreciate it, and I am glad I awakened such strong emotions in you throughout. I do not agree with you on the point of Drizzt's treatment of Kalin, but mean you no disrespect.**

* * *

Tuatha met Nalfein and Dinin's eyes before vanishing into the smoke. Nalfein sheathed his dagger and grabbed up his shield from his back before charging across the burning rooftops. Dinin unclipped his heavy crossbow and braced it against his shoulder, taking careful aim. It was his job to distract the dragon. He released the trigger and let the bolt fly.

The crossbow bolt slammed into the dragon's neck and sank deeply in. the dragon jerked and roared. It glared at Dinin and opened its mouth, letting out a bolt of sizzling lightning. It slammed against Dinin's raised shield and the dark elf skidded back, pushed by the force of the lightning against it.

The dragon rider jerked the reins and the dragon swung around to face Dinin. The black knight raised his gloved hands and a ball of black energy flared to life above them. He hurled it at Dinin and watched it explode against the shield.

Dinin dropped to a roll beneath the next death ball, rolling off the rooftop. He grabbed a window ledge and swung into the room of the house across. He ducked behind the door as lightning blasted the roof and walls away around him. Falling wood rained down around him. The dragon's head slithered out of the smoke, the deadly maw open. Dinin raised his shield to block the incoming lightning. This time he skidded backward and slammed hard into a wall. Slightly dazed, he stumbled away from the wall as the dragon's tail lashed around and sent him flying. The black knight lazily moved his fingers and another death ball sprang to life. His eyes glittered.

Dinin prepared to die.

The black knight released the death ball. It soared down toward Dinin and exploded against Zak's shield as he rushed to protect his son.

Nalfein came swinging out of the fire and smoke on his unbreakable rope. He let go of the rope and raised his blade above his head, cutting down through the dragon's neck halfway as he sliced with the force of his fall behind him. At the same time Tuatha jumped onto the dragon's tail, sprinted up its back, and rammed his long dagger through the nearly invisible gap in the back of the black knight's armor.

The black knight gasped.

"I am Tuatha Do'Urden," Tuatha hissed, ramming the dagger into the dying man up to the hilt. "I am trained to kill from behind. No matter how powerful you may be, if you forget to watch your back, I will kill you!"

Nalfein finished off the writing dragon with another blow. Tuatha withdrew his bloody knife and leapt to safety as the dragon's body crumpled sideways, crashing over a mass of zombies, crushing most of them, and knocking over houses with its tail.

Nalfein and Tuatha met Zak and Dinin in the street below. They slapped a high five and turned to face the approaching zombies.

"Mission dragon accomplished," Tuatha breathed. "Mission buy time underway. Hurry up, Mai'Zak!"

* * *

Drizzt was worried about how they would cross the Luskan wall. There was no way his horse could jump it.

"Jump onto Glimmer!" Mai'Zak called. "She says she can jump the wall. Here, take my hand."

"Are you insane? She will gore herself open on the spikes along the top of the wall!" Drizzt cried.

"Trust me!" his son snapped.

Drizzt sighed. He detached his feet from the stirrups and threw himself from the saddle, rolling through the air until he landed on Glimmer and slid an arm around Mai'Zak's waist to keep himself from falling off.

Glimmer neared the wall and sprang. She soared clear and Drizzt got a clear view of the battlefield. He watched Tuatha turn a magnificent leap midair among a flock of zombie bats before Glimmer came down on the other side of the wall.

"Give me the reins!" Drizzt commanded. "I have the map and I can see to follow it!"

Mai'Zak did not object. He slid off Glimmer and passed the reins to Drizzt before he sprang up behind him and held onto his waist. Even though his shoulders were set, his arms trembled.

The instant Drizzt took the shimmery pink reins; a deeper understanding of Glimmer's capabilities entered his mind. New strength flowed into his veins. He moved with Glimmer as though they were one.

"It is amazing," Mai'Zak agreed. "Not everyone gets to experience this. Glimmer's harness is made from the bond of love between me and her."

Glimmer bounded through the empty streets of Luskan under Drizzt's guidance. They passed a demolished bride over the river Mirar that connected the west and east sides of Luskan. Mai'Zak and Drizzt smelt smoke on the breeze.

"This side of the city is on fire," Drizzt told Mai'Zak. "And the flames are coming this way."

Drizzt watched a dragon sweep overhead and hoped quietly his family would survive the battle. Glimmer ran on, staying ahead of the crawling flames until she reached the Whitesail harbor. Zombies were crawling from the Trackless Sea; drowned sailors and dead people thrown into the ocean.

Drizzt looked at his map. The red markings ended where they stood but it was not hard to tell which house belonged to the baroness. The black manor stood freshly built within clear sight at the edge of the cliffs lining the beach. The zombies marched past it and into the city.

"How will we get in?" Drizzt wondered.

"Very easily," Mai'Zak replied. "I will become invisible, Glimmer will turn into a statue, and you will use the mask Nalfein lent you to make yourself look like a zombie. No one will pay you any attention."

Drizzt slipped on the magical mask and took a deep breath, envisioning himself into a zombie. He looked down and grimaced as the magic took effect, turning him into one of the ugly creatures. He slid off Glimmer as Mai'Zak landed next to him and pulled up the hood of his cloak. He vanished from sight but his hand slipped into Drizzt's. Glimmer vanished to, replaced by a figurine Drizzt pocketed.

Drizzt took a deep breath and started toward the manor. The zombies walked away from him without a backward glance and the undead guards at the doors paid him no attention as he marched into the manor and slammed the doors behind him, sliding the bolt into place and locking them. He was in a long, dark hall.

"Come, Mai'Zak!" he whispered. "Nalfein told us where we would find the baroness!"

Mai'Zak held his hand tightly and followed his father. He was terrified, afraid of the job ahead. His heart pounded. He felt sick. What if he failed and everyone he cared for was killed? He wished Drizzt would say something encouraging but maybe Drizzt doubted him to.

The emptiness and silence in the halls they walked through made Mai'Zak shivered. He heard the doors Drizzt opened creak. He heard footsteps but Drizzt kept walking to he did to. He assumed Drizzt must still be in zombie disguise. He clutched Drizzt's hand a little tighter.

Drizzt stopped walking. He had found the baroness's temple. There was no door; only an archway leading into a circular room. In a low voice he described the raised platform in the center, where the altar was, and the semi-circle of pillars around it to Mai'Zak. The baroness stood near the altar, with her back to the door.

"Keep her talking so I can follow her voice," Mai'Zak whispered. His hand left Drizzt's and he stood alone in darkness, making his way forward slowly and carefully.

Drizzt took off the mask. He drew his scimitars. She could not be that ugly. Nalfein was probably just weak.

The baroness swung around. "Drizzt Do'Urden, how noble of you to drop in!"

Drizzt gasped. Every muscle in his body locked. Just looking at her turned his insides upside down. She was nothing but a sack of flesh, dropping over jutting bones. He forced his mouth to move though his jaw was stiff. He was helpless.

The baroness laughed, approaching Drizzt's frozen body. "You always try to save your pathetic little world, but this time you fail!"

"I . . . will . . . win!" Drizzt managed to say.

"Ha!" said the baroness. Zombies swarmed around Drizzt as she beckoned them from the shadows.

Suddenly Glimmer burst out of nowhere and flew to protect Drizzt. Zombies were torn to shreds beneath her claws.

"A pet!" the baroness shrieked, her voice cracking stone. "Kill it!"

Glimmer turned snarling to face the baroness but froze as she looked at the hag. Drizzt's heart pounded in his chest as he eyes darted toward the zombies approaching.

The baroness cackled shrilly. The sound broke off as she convulsed and gasped. A few drops of blood splattered to the stone floor. She turned, her claws raking the air, and dragged off the hood of Mai'Zak's cloak as he became visible. He stared right at the baroness and froze.

The last shred of hope died from Drizzt's body. They were dead.

The baroness eyed Mai'Zak and started to walk around him with a smirk. "Fool child."

Suddenly Mai'Zak moved. His arm came up and stabbed the dagger in his hand into the baroness's heart. He stumbled back as she shrieked and fell against the wall. The temple around them began to fall in, huge chunks of stone crashing to the floor, as the baroness's shrill voice broke stone.

Drizzt and Glimmer could move again.

"Mai'Zak!" Drizzt shrieked.

There was no reply. No! Not Mai'Zak! Not his son! "Mai'Zak!"

Choking Drizzt stumbled out of the falling temple as it collapsed, Glimmer disappearing in dust. When the dust cleared, the room was nothing but a pile of rubble.

"Mai'Zak," Drizzt whispered brokenly, his hands hanging limply at his sides. Then he was forced to forget his grief and flee as the manor came tumbling down around him. He burst out of the stone house as it flung him clear with the force of its collapse. He lay dazed, collecting his scattered senses. Slowly he crawled to his feet. Zak, Nalfein, Dinin, and Tuatha were running toward him. The houses were gone, and so were the zombies.

His family was burned and bloodied but alive. They all looked at him, and Drizzt wondered how he could tell them.

"Mai'Zak killed her," Drizzt finally said. "He-he—" He collapsed against Zak and sobbed.

There was nothing but silence for a long time. The dust in the air settled and the wind blew the smoke away. Across the wide, deep river people were lining up on the bank and staring at the destroyed part of the city.

Tuatha cried out, "Glimmer!"

The dark elves swung around as Glimmer bounded toward them. She skidded to a halt and Mai'Zak slid to the ground, his clothes torn, bruises leaking blood down his face, but alive. Of all the arms fighting to embrace him, Drizzt reached him first and buried him in a long, tight hug.

Mai'Zak smiled weakly and turned his head at the sound of horse's hooves. Kalin flung himself off the horse and onto Drizzt. "You are alive! After I saw the dragon, I was afraid—I did not know if I would see you again. Wh-what happened to the zombies?"

"They turned into water with the death of the baroness," Zak replied, and patted the white head of his grandson. He knew there would be a celebration tonight, held by the citizens but Mai'Zak needed peace and quiet to heal. He heard Drizzt promise the injured boy quietly, "I know you are hurt and need to heal but I wil stay with you the entire time. I will not lose you again. And when you healed, if you want to, I would welcome you to come stay with me and Kalin . . . for a while."

"Thank you," Mai'Zak said. He looked a little shy. "I-I think I would like that."

Zak turned his face the sky and smiled. Life was perfect . . . again. And Mai'Zak was finally happy, having come home.

* * *

 **Yes, story's over, but I would not mind hearing any overall thoughts!  
**


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